A Hue of Crimson
by NatD-LE
Summary: The G8 is trapped in the mansion and no one else knows about it, until Romano starts getting memories from his brother. With Spain at his side, he makes it to the mansion on his quest to rescue the nations. As secrets are revealed and promises made, this journey becomes about a lot more than just escaping. HetaOni Spamano fanfic. Rated T for violence, future incidents, and swearing
1. All Bad Things Happen to Us Italians

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**Hello and welcome to my first serious piece of fanfiction for Hetalia. Unlike my other writings, this ISN'T a songfic and it ISN'T a one-shot. I've recently been playing the HetaOni English Project (by Pianodream and Neo-Kyno) and I've always been interested in what happened OUTSIDE of the mansion. It's mentioned a little in the game and in the extra video (which I haven't seen in forever). Then the gears in my head began to turn and... this story happened.**

**Please note, I will be trying NOT to make long authors notes (if you've read any of my previous stories, you know I am prone to long ANs). For the most part, you will get the disclaimer and maybe a little side note. That's it. So, if you see a long authors note here or at the bottom, it would probably be something important. This, for example, is an important AN to read, because I will not repeat myself after this.**

**Before the question arises, I have my own ending for the fic that DOESN'T have to do with the actual ending to HetaOni. I also made up a different plot once I finish following the 17 chapters that already exist. I don't plan on following whatever there is in the Extras videos I've seen a long time ago because there is too little to make a plot that isn't scattered all over the place. I'm worried I might ruin it. But that might just be me. If that kind of thing isn't your cup of tea, write your own or look for some other writer.**

**Last thing, this is purely Spamano. It will follow the two and will be written in their point of view (mostly Romano, sometimes Spain). Everyone else is, for the most part, a minor character in comparison. So you won't be seeing every single character in HetaOni speak as much as you would like. I apologize.**

**Please enjoy and leave some feedback. I enjoy reading what you think and I pay attention to any flaws you may point out.**

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"Come on, faster! Run faster!"

"I'm running as fast as I can!"

"We have to make it this time, dammit!"

"I know, but Roma, there is a limit!"

"JUST SHUT UP AND RUN!"

There was a small skidding sound as two men ran like the wind down the hall of the World Summit building. They rounded the corner and one of them nearly fell over. They were visibly exhausted, but their feet seemed to work on their own.

"I think I hear them! Oh fuck, we're so close! Finally!" One of them, the shorter male with messy dark brown hair, huffed out in relief. "Which door is it, again?"

"Second on the left!" The taller male with curly brown locks answered, following at the shorter male's heels. He nodded and they rounded another corner to find a corridor of doors. They skidded to a stop at the second to their left. There were some faint sounds and voices coming from behind.

"Key, key, key!" The taller male dug in his pockets and pulled out a key. The other man yanked it from his hand and shoved it into the lock, fumbling with it before finally twisting and yanking the door open. "Venez-!" He began, but the door across the room, leading directly out to the gate, slammed shut. The two men stood there, stunned and exhausted. The only sound in the deserted meeting room was their panting as they tried to catch their breaths. The shorter male still held the doorknob. As his grip tightened, the doorknob made creaking sounds of protest.

"R-Roma…" The taller male murmured, his expression softening to sympathetic.

"Sh-sh-SHIIT!" 'Roma' snapped the doorknob off in a fit of rage and threw it down onto the floor. The other man quickly reacted and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pinning his arms to his sides.

"Romano! Shhh, it's ok, it'll be ok." The man attempted to soothe Romano, who was shaking his head hysterically.

"N-no, it's not ok! They're gone now! There's nothing we could do!" Romano choked out.

"W-well, maybe we can go catch the-."

"NOTHING, Spain." Roma barked out. "There is NOTHING we can do. Once they leave this room, time makes them unreachable. Besides, there's still the matter of the people who left before them. I can't make sure of the groups they left in now!" He looked at Spain in despair. Spain frowned and nodded slowly.

"Okay, Roma. Okay. Just try to calm down and we'll figure something out." He murmured, looking down at the broken doorknob. "Freaking out like this won't solve anything. It'll just give us more headaches." Romano took deep breaths and gently shrugged off Spain's arms, looking like he wanted to yell at him but just decided to keep calm and sat down in one of the chairs.

"Bastardo, why do you always have to be right?" He grumbled. Spain just chuckled in response.

"I'll go get us some water, si?"

"…sure, but be back soon." Romano shot Spain a look. Spain nodded and left. Romano sighed and held his head in his hands.

**X-X-X**

I still remembered the first time I received a memory, a horrible memory that came straight out of a nightmare. I thought it was a dream at first. There was no way that it could really happen. I refused to believe it, yet it looked so fucking real. It was an image forever burned into my head; my little brother's friends, fellow nations, dying. Even during a war, their bodies were never this mangled. There was so. much. blood…

It was after a world meeting at the Summit. My stupid brother needed me to pay some actual attention, even though nothing got done (as usual). That hamburger bastard, America, started talking about some house east of the building. He claimed it was haunted. I left with Spain and Austria and the others, none of us interested in joining America's antics.

I don't even remember the damn order in which I saw them. I just remember seeing powerful nations like America and cold and ruthless fighting nations like Russia covered in blood and not moving in a place I have never seen before. At one point, I saw a grey claw and felt cold fear run through my whole body. I kept telling myself, 'it's my own messed up imagination, dammit!' If that was true, why did that claw alone make me feel so scared?

These thoughts persisted, even when I didn't want them to. They became frantic and urgent, filling my head and making me want to pull my damn hair out. I tried calling my brother for help, but his phone went straight to voicemail. I talked to Spain after not having a choice anymore, but he just told me I needed rest. Fat lot of help that does me, you idiot. It seemed, whenever I closed my eyes, a new image came to my mind. It was bloodier and more heart wrenching than the last. When I told him for the first time what I have been seeing, he just looked at me like I was crazy.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something is off. Nothing made sense to me. The dying nations, the claw, all of that blood. With all of these memories, it felt like days have passed. That was impossible, though. Only a day has passed. I felt like I was going fucking crazy.

However, the worse of it is was when I finally felt the death of my brother. It was a shock going all through my body. I felt as if someone sawed me in half, a part of me wasn't there anymore. Then I felt my whole body erupt in pain. I felt my people panic in the worse ways as half of their beloved country suddenly ceased to exist. Families suddenly died or separated, innocent lives lost. I have never experienced this before.

There was no imagining this. It was all real. There is something out there that can kill nations, probably in that mansion America told us about. My fucking god, what did they get themselves into? What did Veneziano get himself into? There is no denying that they're all in danger.

I remember closing my eyes and seeing the same place where they were all getting killed. I saw my blood- no, my brother's blood- pooling under him. For the first time since I left the meeting, I heard his voice. It was as if he was right next to me. Somehow I know, though, that this had already happened earlier. He was long dead now.

_Y-you know, we a-actually have been… coming here s-several times. I-I have been… turning back t-time… so I could save everyone. A-and I did. I …s-s-saved …e-everyone…_

Suddenly, I opened my eyes and saw that I was back at the world summit. Even Spain, Austria, Belgium, and everyone except the G8 were leaving as if for the first time. I asked Spain what time it was and he said it was around 3pm, the time when the meeting ended.

I didn't need any more convincing. My brother is in danger. He has been turning back time and going to that hellhole haunted mansion over and over whenever they died. Who knows how many times he has done so? Judging by the wounds, whatever has killed them was pretty damn strong. Of all times to turn noble, my stupid little brother chose a mansion filled with evil that can kill a NATION to vow to save everyone there. Well, now it's my turn to save you, Veneziano.

**X-X-X**

"Hey, Roma." I felt a poke at my arm. I opened my eyes, my head resting in my arms on the table, and glared at the source of the voice. Spain was standing there with two cups of water on the table beside him, smiling sadly at me. I lifted my head and eyed him. He didn't say anything. He just sat down in the chair next to me and handed me a cup. I took it and took a sip. "So, anything new?" He asked before taking a drink himself.

"…No, I'm not getting anything anymore." I answered. Spain nodded slowly. I couldn't help but sigh internally. I went through hell and back to get him to believe me about the situation with the other nations. For some reason, I kept the majority of my memories whenever my brother turned back time. However, Spain didn't remember anything. He was as oblivious as anyone. A few memories from my brother told me that this was the case with everyone except him as well. Maybe being related had perks after all.

Eventually, Spain began to believe me, even if I had to tell him over and over about the situation every time my brother went back. We tried almost everything to stop them, but we were always too late. This just felt like the last straw. I felt like giving up, but then who would save my brother? The nations there are helpless and my brother was never good with taking care of himself, even if he is holding his own in that cursed house.

"I still find it hard to understand, Roma. Why can you see everything that Ita sees?" Spain frowned at me curiously. I made a face. He really had tomatoes for brains. He asked me this dozens of times, and time hasn't even been reversed yet.

"Like I told you before, since we're two halves of one nation, we're… connected, for the most part. Because he turned back time so many times, the amount of memories from those different times became too much for him and they were passed onto me." I recited, finishing my water.

"Ah, si, and he doesn't know you're doing it?"

"I don't think so."

"And you can't see what he is doing now?"

"Fucking idiot, I told you I can't! Time over there is too screwed up! There is no such thing as 'then' and 'now' over there! That's why we can't go there, either! We'd get lost! We'd get killed!"

"Roma, calm down!" Spain put his hands on my arms to ease me back into my seat. I grumbled and shoved his arms off. Just because we're in the middle of a crisis doesn't mean I'll allow any stupid mushiness from him, the bastard. "I'm sorry for upsetting you, this is just… hard to wrap my head around, yah know? Ahaha, I never thought of any of my friends… to be less than invincible as nations…" He trailed off. I softened a little. It's easy to forget that his friends are in that mansion too. I sighed.

"Look… I get it. It took me a while to understand, too, and even longer to convince myself I wasn't batshit crazy. I… shouldn't have yelled. S-mph." I grumbled, reluctant to say the word. I didn't like to apologize, but Spain looked like he needed a kind word or some shit like that. I took a deep breath. "…Sorry." I rushed out the word, feeling my face burn. It seemed to work, though. Spain lit up like a Christmas day and practically assaulted me with a hug.

"Aww, Roma, you look so cuuuuute~! I forgive you, my little henchman." He cooed. My face almost set on fire as I shoved him back into his seat.

"Sh-shut up, damn you! I'm not cute and I don't want to be hugged! Just… sit there, capito?" I got up from my chair and frantically paced the room, looking anywhere but at him. I saw him shrug from the corner of my eye.

"Whatever you say, Roma. So, if we can't go over there, what CAN we do to help them?" He wondered. I paused in my pacing and scowled at the ground.

"As much as I hate to say it, we have no choice but to wait. Unless they somehow miraculously fix time, we can't do anything but wait for my brother to reverse time and do this all over again. Hopefully, we'll get here in time." I ran a hand through my hair.

"But then you'd have to waste time telling me once again what is going on again." He said. I looked up to scowl at him.

"Don't you think I know that? Damn it, I don't have a choice, Spain! I can't go over there and I can't handle this alone again." My voice hitched a little and I had to turn away. The pain of my brother's death was still fresh on my mind. The thing that bugged me the most was that there was no one there to help me. I was alone at home, waiting for Veneziano to return, even though I suspected that he won't. I felt better when I thought it was just because of the potato bastard or the Japanese nerd. I heard the chair scrape faintly and I felt Spain hug me again. It was softer this time. It reminded me of the old days, when all that scared me were childhood nightmares.

"Don't get upset again, Roma. We'll figure out a way to save them, I promise." He told me. I tried to pry his arms away. Hnn, I forgot how strong he could be. Damn him. I gave up and snorted.

"Don't make promises you won't remember, bastard." He froze and I frowned, feeling I should apologize again. To my surprise, he chuckled and just squeezed me tighter. I huffed and squirmed, unable to breath in his death grip. My face was probably tomato red by now. I squeezed my eyes closed from sheer embarrassment.

_-so if we break the clocks, we should be able to restore the time in the house._

I froze. That sounded like Japan, but his voice sounded close, like he was a few feet away. I looked around, but the place was empty. Spain noticed and gave me a small shake.

"Hey, Roma? You ok?"

"Shhh!" I shushed him, closing my eyes again.

_-… We've already broken the clocks on the first and second floor. All that is left is the 3__rd__ and 4__th__ floor._

My eyes snapped open. That was Japan, all right, but this has never happened before. If I heard a voice, it was always my brother's and it was when someone had died or when he was dying or during any type of specific memory. Does that mean…

"Let go of me, bastard, and go get your phone!" I wiggled in Spain's arms until he complied. He stared at me in confusion.

"I thought you couldn't reach Ita or anyone else on your phone." He wondered. I dug around my pockets until I got my phone.

"We can't. We're calling the other nations. Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Russia's creepy sisters, Switzerland, anyone else we can reach." I said, finding Belgium on my contact list and pressing the call button. "We're going to the mansion, and we're not going alone."

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**Just so there isn't any confusion, the first part was in 3rd person. I'll warn you if I write like that again. Also, Romano's summery of the events isn't what happened in the first few times Italy went back in time. I like to believe that Italy held onto all of the memories he has, but after they were all jam-packed into his head the first dozens of times, Romano started getting a few. Before he did, I don't think he noticed that time was being reversed. He probably had strange deja vu moments but shrugged them off.**

**Next chapter will be coming up in a few days. Rate and Review~**


	2. Calling All The Bastards

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni**

**I was honestly surprised at the quick response this got. I'm so happy people like it already ^^* As a treat, here is the 2nd chapter~.**

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It took a long fucking time, but eventually, we got ahold of a good number of nations. Belgium agreed but her brother was unreachable. Austria was bitchy about it, but was on his way. Hungary agreed as soon as she heard that Veneziano was in danger. Ukraine agreed to come and called Belarus in the meantime since not even Spain had her number. The gun-wielding nutcase Switzerland and his (cute) little sister agreed after some persuasion from both me and the tomato bastard. One of them, I forgot who, said they'd call Lithuania and Poland for us. Everyone else refused or was unreachable by Spain and myself.

I collapsed into a chair and sighed, closing my eyes. Spain left me alone for once. Good thing, too. With this new breech, I had to focus and see if anything new happens. So far, no one has died or been seriously attacked. My brother kept a huge distance from everyone else. I snarled under my breath at his stupidity. He had decided that he had to accomplish everything on his own a few time loops ago. His pasta-filled head doesn't seem to grasp that whatever this thing is, it can't be beaten by one person, no matter how fast you run or how strong a fighter you are.

As far as I can tell, someone had found a seemingly random clock in one of the drawers in a room. It was loud, so he broke it. Once it was broken, their watches worked normally and so did their phones. Unfortunately, the place still has bad reception, since I tried calling Veneziano with the same result as usual. Breaking a clock also had some side effect, but I can't tell what it is. Even though time is righting itself, I can't get all of Veneziano's memories. It's so damn annoying.

The door slamming into the wall jolted me from my thoughts. Austria and Hungary were standing in the doorway, looking at me and at Spain somewhere behind me. "Well, you two better have a good reason for calling us here." Austria greeted us.

"Hola Austria, Hungary." Spain cheerfully replied. I rolled my eyes and stood up. Right away, Hungary rushed over to me.

"What has happened? Is Italy alright?" She fussed, digging her fingers into my arm. I winced and gently shook her hand off.

"Everything will be explained once everyone gets here." I told her. She looked ready to argue, but in the end nodded and grabbed herself a chair. Austria, meanwhile, was talking to Spain.

"I was just about to get on a plane to go back home and you call me about some urgent matter, now you can't tell me?" Austria glared at Spain, who was getting more flustered by the minute.

"Uh, er, ahaha, well…" He stammered. Feeling sorry for the bastard, I huffed and answered Austria for him.

"There are more nations coming and I don't want to have to repeat myself every time someone new comes. Plus, it's gonna take a while to explain. You're just going to have to deal with it."

"Now, see here-!" Austria was ready to argue, but Hungary interrupted him.

"Austria, don't get angry now. This is clearly a very serious situation if so many nations have to come. Just sit down and wait, please." She smiled kindly at him. Austria turned a little red before nodding and sitting down next to his ex-wife. I suppressed a snort. What a wuss.

"What happened to the doorknob?" A voice suddenly came from the doorway. Everyone looked to see Switzerland staring at the doorknob on the floor, Lichtenstein standing next to him in matching camouflage outfits. Spain was about to answer, but I silenced him with a look before answering Switzerland.

"Nothing. Just take your seat." Switzerland nodded and took one step before he noticed Austria sitting nearby. He glared at him.

"You! What are you doing here?" He exclaimed in outrage. Austria looked back at him evenly.

"I was called by Spain to help, of course. Just as you were."

"Humph, as if you could ever do anything other than get yourself defeated!"

"Big bruder, don't fight!"

"HEY." I scowled at the two nations, my outburst making them freeze in place. "We don't have time for this, you stupid fuckers. Just sit down and shut up until everyone gets here." Austria looked reluctant but went back into his seat. Switzerland grumbled and let his 'sister' walk him to a set of chairs. I huffed and sat back, rubbing my forehead. In all of the commotion, Spain moved to stand next to me.

"Wow, Roma. Who knew you could be so forceful~"

"Shut the hell up."

**X-X-X**

After another fight almost began, a long debate over the importance of pink paint (don't ask), an embarrassing discussion among the women about yaoi (seriously, don't ask) and an incident involving carving knives (PLEASE don't ask), everyone finally arrived and set up a very scattered circle of chairs to face me (and Spain, since he was still standing next to me). From my left were Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Ukraine, Belarus, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Poland, and Lithuania. Lithuania informed me that he called the other Baltics, a few Asian countries, and the Nordics. They were having trouble getting here on such short notice, but we had no more time to wait.

So I told them everything. I told them about the memories I have been getting. I told them about the blood and the grey claw. I told them about the pain I felt when my brother died. I told them about suddenly coming back to the meeting place. I finished off with the news about the clocks. Once I was done, I sat back and waited, examining them all. A few looked skeptical. Some looked a little fearful. All of them had the same look in their eyes that Spain had: like I was crazy.

"Romano, you can't expect us to believe this." Austria was the first to speak, looking at me like I was some kid crying wolf.

"I'm telling the truth! You guys all heard America talk about that stupid mansion. That's where they are now, and they're in danger!"

"My brother, too?" Belarus asked, glaring at me scarily, her long fingers grazing the place where she hid her knives. I hesitated before nodding.

"Yeah, everyone from the G8." I confirmed. Ukraine gasped and Lichtenstein covered her mouth with her hand. Hungary and Belgium exchanged a glance.

"Psh, yeah, whatevs, Romano." Poland yawned, filing his nails. I stared at him, questioning exactly how much testosterone is left in him, when Switzerland cleared his throat.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Austria. This whole thing sounds ridiculous."

"I'm telling you the truth!" I insisted, getting pissed. I already went through this with Spain and, while I knew this wouldn't be easy to believe, the way they're looking at me is just too much.

"And I'M telling YOU that that is impossible." Austria got up and stood right in front of me.

"Austria-! " Hungary started.

"I will not tolerate lies, Romano. Nations cannot be killed. It is physically impossible. We never would've survived as long as we have if it were possible. Besides, if it did happen, we would have noticed by now that a whole entire nation suddenly disappeared. Now, you have wasted our time enough. We are lea-. " Everyone ceased all movement when Austria suddenly had the tip of an axe pointed to his neck. I was too rooted in my seat from Austria's little speech to look up at the wielder of the weapon.

"S-Spain! What is the meaning of thi-?"

"Austria, please just shut up for once." Spain murmured dangerously. At this point, I was trying my hardest not to look up at Spain's face. "Go sit back down and I will give you a few good reasons why you should believe Roma and stick around."

"I-"

"OR I could give you just ONE good reason." He tilted the halberd so the blade tapped Austria's jaw. "But it would be your last." Austria stared at Spain in anger, but said nothing as he backed away from the weapon and sat back down in his seat. Spain pulled the halberd back and stepped forward. I finally mustered up courage and looked up to see him calm and serious, but the muscles in his back were tensed.

"Now, I know this is very hard to believe. To think that a nation could die is… terrible, a tragedy. It means losing friends, losing part of the world that makes us all whole. I thought it was crazy too, but I know Romano and I know he would never lie about something this serious. No matter how much he dislikes the majority of the nations, he would never lie about the safety of his brother." He looked at everyone in turn before looking down at me with softened eyes. I looked away, face on fire once again, and looked at everyone else. I could see shock and fear start to show in everyone's eyes.

"…Italy really is in danger?" Hungary asked worriedly. I frowned and nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Everyone in there has died before. If it hadn't been for my brother, we would be living in a much more… painful world." I averted my eyes, wincing internally as I remembered the pain of my brother's death. There was another long silence.

"This is, like, totally freaky." Poland finally broke the silence.

"Yes. To think that Russia…" Lithuania trailed off. Ukraine let out a small whimper at the thought he was implying.

"Big brother, we must help them!" Lichtenstein tugged at Switzerland's sleeve.

"We will, but why can't they just help themselves? I mean, these are nations experienced with war." Switzerland looked at Spain, then at me.

"This… whatever it is… is too strong for them to handle, even all together. Plus, my brother isn't letting them. He has this stupid thought that he can handle all of it by himself." I glared at the tiles on the floor.

"The fool." Austria whispered.

"Romano, exactly why have you called us here? If this thing can kill nations, doesn't that put us at risk to go in there?" Belgium asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

"It does, but like hell you are going in there." I told her bluntly, not even attempting to refrain from swearing at a lady. I stood up slowly. "I'm the only one going inside the mansion. I'll meet up with my brother on the inside and try to help him and explain what has been going on outside. You guys will stay outside and try to find a way out for us to use."

"That sounds like a good plan." Lithuania nodded. "If everyone went charging in, we'll all be in danger and there would be no one to rescue us." A few people in the circle nodded, but a few…

"No! I must go in and find my brother!" Belarus argued, pulling out her knives.

"Sister, put those away! If we have to stay outside, then we will stay outside." Ukraine fretted, trying to calm down her psycho sister.

"I'm fine with staying outside, but I am NOT fine with the other half of your plan, Romano." Austria huffed. "You honestly think you're going to go into that house alone?"

"Yes, I-" I began, narrowing my eyes.

"Of course not." Spain interrupted from behind me. I turned to see him eyeing me seriously. "Roma isn't going alone." My eyes narrowed.

"Spain.

"I'm going with him, of course."

"No!" I shook my head. "Like hell! You're staying outside with everyone else!" There was a pause before Spain nodded to our unwanted audience.

"Con permiso." He walked over and grabbed my wrist to drag me out of the circle. I struggled and complained, but his grip was tight. Meanwhile, the bastards in the circle ignored us and began to talk amongst themselves.

"If you're going to try to talk me into letting you come-! " I began when we were a good distance away.

"Actually, I'm coming with you no matter what you say." Spain cheerfully replied, stopping to face me but still holding onto my wrist. I tugged at it.

"Fucking bastard." I snarled under my breath.

"Roma, it is too dangerous for you to be alone, especially with a horrible monster that can kill you. What happens if you go in there and you get lost trying to find Ita?"

"I can take care of myself, dammit."

"I thought you said you couldn't handle this alone." Spain murmured, looking sadly at me. I kept trying to tug my arm out of his hand, but I was slowly starting to give up.

"I can't! And if I let you go in there, I WILL be alone." I said before I could stop myself. We both fell silent for a long time, the only sound in the whole room being the incomprehensible whispers of the nations behind us. I closed my eyes to avoid looking at him as I reluctantly continued. "It's bad enough that I've lost my brother to that… _thing_… who knows how many times. I don't want to… lose anyone else…" I let my sentence trail off. There was another long silence as my face lit up like a beacon before Spain _yanked _my arm and pulled me into a hug.

"Aww, Roma, are you worried about me~? That's so sweet!" He cooed.

"Wha- I- No! I-I mean… F-fuck you!" I stammered, the blood in my face boiling to an all-time high. I heard him sigh softly.

"Seriously, though, Roma… I can handle myself, you know. I've been fighting almost all my life, I've been at war against almost everyone on the planet, and I've protected myself and you countless times." He pulled back and put his hands on his shoulders, looking me in the eyes. "I would never let myself die, but I'd sooner not let you die." I struggled to find something to say. I wanted to say no; refuse to let him come with me again, but the look in his eyes showed me there was no stopping him. He would follow me, he would find a way to sneak in, and he would fight his way to my side. It would be more dangerous to keep my distance than to let him come with me.

"Fine, you can come, but if you wander off and get yourself killed, I will make my brother turn back time just so I could kill you myself." I threatened. He laughed and ruffled my hair, thankfully avoiding my curl, and walked us back to the other nations. I frowned to myself, hoping to God that I made the right decision.

**X-X-X**

When we came back to the others, they had made a strategy already. They were to cover different peremeters of the outside of the house in groups, since it was clearly too dangerous to be alone. The groups were already made: Switzerland and Lichtenstein; Lithuania and Poland; Austria, Hungary, and Belgium; and Belarus and Ukraine. They also contacted everyone who wasn't there yet and told them the cliff notes version of the situation, promising to explain everything in full once they got there. Spain suggested that at least 2 groups stay back to wait for the remaining nations and lead them to the house. He also suggested that he and I go ahead of them.

"Why can't we go with you?" Austria huffed as Spain and I looked for all of our stuff.

"We need to get there as quickly as possible so we can get inside and find the other nations. It would arouse less suspicion if less people show up at once." Spain explained.

"Also, you guys are going to need weapons. We're giving you time to find some." I finished off. Hungary grinned and lifted a frying pan from her purse (don't ask me how it fits in there, I have no idea.)

"I've got mine~."

"I have my weapons as well." Belarus lifted her scary knives. Switzerland wordlessly tapped the shotgun strapped to his back. Everyone else was at a loss.

"Look around the building. I saw more than enough guns and swords hanging on walls." I suggested.

"Wait, Roma, where's your weapon?" Belgium asked in worry. I hesitated before patting my hip.

"I have a gun hidden here."

"Oh, alright." Belgium smiled happily and nodded to us. "Good luck, you two. Stay safe."

"Si, mi amiga." Spain smiled back at her and waved his hand toward the door, winking at me. "Lead the way." I scowled at him and rolled my eyes as I went ahead to leave.

"We'll call you guys when we find them. Be careful out there!" I warned. They shouted back their goodbyes as Spain and I left through the door and out the gate of the Summit.

"Hey, Roma?" Spain suddenly jogged ahead next to me. I jumped a little.

"Wha-what do you want now?" I asked.

"You don't HAVE a gun at your side, do you?" I blinked and looked at him. He was eyeing me curiously. I opened my mouth to reply, then closed it and sighed.

"No. I didn't bring one." I admitted. Spain was silent for a moment before smiling brightly at me.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm coming with you~ I can definitely protect you!" He pulled out his halberd and swung it around. I snorted and rolled my eyes, but looking at the huge war axe, I couldn't help but feel just a bit safer around this idiot.

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**Translations-**

**Con permiso- excuse me**

**Si- yes**

**Mi amiga- my friend [female]**

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	3. I'm On My Way, Veneziano

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**This is one of my more... silly chapters. I tend to do a few silly chapters to lighten the mood from all of the horror and angst. Plus, well, Spain is a silly person ^^***

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All I knew about the mansion was that it was East of the World Summit. All I've seen of it was the inside of the house, a few random rooms here and there and mostly bloodstained floors. I saw a piano once, I think. Because I knew so little, I was not prepared for the fucking long hike! It was hot as hell outside and my legs and lungs were already killing me from running earlier. I was just about ready to collapse, but I had to keep pushing myself forward.

"Roma, are you sure you don't want me to carry you?" Spain asked. I glared at him. He wasn't even breaking a sweat, and he was supposed to be way more easy-going than I was! How the fuck is he managing that?

"Touch me and you're dead." I grumbled. I honestly wouldn't mind being carried, but being carried by HIM was out of the question, dammit. He wouldn't even let go of me when we got there, and it would just be straight-up embarrassing.

"That's not nice, Roma. Especially considering… where we're going…" I blinked. He was right. Threatening him when his life is about to be in danger constantly was cruel of me. I opened my mouth to apologize, but stopped when I noticed him trying to repress a smile. I closed my mouth and scowled.

"Fuck you, quit messing with me!" I laminated. Caught in the act, he let out a laugh.

"Lo siento, mi tomate. I'm just bored, and anxious."

"I know you didn't just call me your tomato." I narrowed my eyes at him. He ignored me and continued.

"To think we're going to face something so dangerous that we can actually die, cease to exist, put the people of our nations in jeopardy… it's scary." He frowned. I nodded to myself.

"Yeah… I know. I feel anxious too." I murmured, and then turned red and automatically snapped at him. "So quit poking at me like that! You're not the only one with issues here, yah know!" Spain smiled again and chuckled.

"Si, I know. I'm sorry, Roma. Hey, wanna play a game?"

"No, you're a bastard."

"Okay~ I spy with my little eye something… green!"

"Of all the games you're gonna make me play, you're gonna make my play THIS stupid game?"

"That's not a guess, Romano~" He smiled at me, looking hopeful. I wanted to protest, but it's hard with that innocent puppy-dog look on his face, dammit. I sighed.

"Fine. Um, a tree?"

"Yep! Your turn."

"This game is so fucking stupid. I'll pass."

"Alright~ I spy with my little eye something… red!" I stared at him, then looked around. My eyebrows furrowed.

"The fuck? There's nothing red out here." I glared at him, confused. He had a soft, mysterious smile.

"Yes there is. I can see it." He cheerfully said. I looked around some more, even turning around and walking backwards to see if I could spot anything.

"Bastard, I don't see anything." I turned back around to walk straight. "I give up." I grumbled. He pouted.

"Aww, really? Okay, I'll show you. It's riiight…" He poked my cheek. "Here!" He grinned at me while I stared at him, probably turning an even darker red.

"Wha-what the hell? First of all, I can't see my own face! Second of all, my face is not red!" I batted his finger away and rubbed my cheek.

"Yes it is! You look like a tomato~"

"Fuck off, I'm not a tomato! Are you going to continue or shut up?"

"Ok, ok. I spy with my little eye something…gold!"

"Um… I don't know. The sun?"

"Nope! Your eyes!"

"Wh-! Dammit, I told you I can't see my own face!"

"I see red again~."

"CHIGII, JUST SHUT UP!"

**X-X-X**

After that stupid game and a good punch in the arm, we just walked in silence. Occasionally, the tomato bastard started singing in Spanish. I didn't bother trying to shut him up. I didn't want to talk to him at all. Instead, I suffered in silence, my legs about ready to give out from all of this walking.

"Roma, please let me carry you." Spain pleaded. I frowned. I had hoped he didn't notice.

"Tsk, I'm fine, dammit. I can walk by myself." For some reason, it seemed like I was trying to convince myself more than him. It didn't work either way. I saw him shake his head from the corner of my eye.

"Romano, you are exhausted. You ran a lot today and you've been on high alert for a while now. We've only been walking for an hour and I heard that America said it was 3 hours away. If you show up there like this, you'll be in even more danger than you already will be without a weapon." He stepped in front of me so I would stop walking and held out his arms. "Just let me carry you and I'll let you down once we're there." He frowned in worry, looking serious for the first time since we started walking. I looked at his outstretched arms and my shoulders slumped. He was right. If I waste all my energy now, I'm sure to be killed. If I'm lucky, I'll stay alive but be unable to find Veneziano.

"Alright, go ahead and carry me, but no funny business." I eyed him warningly. He smiled in relief and nodded before bending down and abruptly scooping me up. I yelped but had no time to protest before he started walking, carrying me bridal-style. Carrying me like a motherfucking BRIDE. "Why in the hell are you carrying me like this?" I flushed, looking away.

"What do you mean? Is there a specific way you want me to carry you?"

"Anything but this!"

"Alright…" He stopped and shifted me carefully in his arms until I was slung over his shoulder with his arm supporting my waist. He started walking up the road once again. I flinched when I felt his shoulder digging into my stomach and tried my very hardest NOT to look down at his a- mmph.

"Dammit, this is no better. This hurts!" I complained. Spain stopped walking again and let me slide off his shoulder, steadying me for a moment until I was able to stand.

"Hmm… Oh, I know!"

"Hm?"

"Get on my back!"

"…che cosa?"

**X-X-X**

So I ended up piggy-back riding the idiot, his arms hooked under my legs and my arms holding him in a choke hold with my head on one of my arms, facing away from his neck. I grumbled under my breath. This was not the best position to be in, but it was better than being held like some chick. It's bad enough my brother was mistaken for a girl when he was younger. This wasn't exactly comfortable, though. He kept bouncing at random times. I had to kick him in the leg with my ankle to make him stop.

Being off the ground gave me a chance to relax, though. The pain in my legs slowly dulled away and I could calmly think. I closed my eyes to see if there was anything new going on in the mansion. I seemed to walk in on an argument between my brother and… I think Japan.

_Just forget it! Forget it right now! Don't even think about those strange things!_

I frowned. Was Japan catching on? I recall, once or twice (that I have seen), the others would notice my brother's strange behavior and confront him. He opened up a few times to them, but it was always in vain. Someone always died and time had to be reversed. I was surprised that Veneziano's patience hasn't run thin, having to do the same thing over and over. I can't even help my frustration anymore when I have to keep explaining what is going on to Spain. Hopefully, this will be the last time I would have to do that.

"Hey, Roma, I think this is it." Spain's voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up over his shoulder. In front of us was a huge iron gate, opened to reveal a huge front yard and, beyond that, a pearly-white mansion. It looked more like a church, with big windows on the outside and a cross a few feet above the front door. I shivered a little. It had a sense of forbidding.

"You think? It's the only creepy house 3 hours from the World Summit." I snorted. I started to slip my legs from his arm to lower myself down, but he held them close and began walking again. "H-hey! What are you doing? You're supposed to let me down now!" I snapped at him, digging my nails into his shoulder in vengeance.

"Ouch, Roma, don't hurt me! I just want to make it up to the front door before letting you go." He whined, not stopping at all. I made sounds of protest, but he refused to let me go. Dammit, I knew this would happen if I let him carry me.

"God, this place freaks me out." I shuddered. The temperature dropped a few degrees the closer we got to the house.

"No need to be scared, Roma. Boss will protect you." He shot a smile over his shoulder at me. I glared at him.

"I'm not scared!" I protested, but he didn't look convinced. At least, his smile didn't go away. "Now stop smiling at me like that."

"Oh, was I smiling?" He shrugged lightly and looked forward. I grumbled under my breath and waited until he made it to the front door. The minute we were a few feet away, I kicked him.

"Okay, you can let me down now."

"Ouch! You could've just asked, you didn't have to kick me." He cried, helping me slowly lower myself to the ground. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't be such a baby. Now that we're closer, I think I'll try calling Veneziano." I pulled my phone out to see a text message flashing on the screen. "Hm, Belgium said the other found some weapons and her group and Ukraine's group are coming up. Switzerland and Lithuania are staying back with their group to explain to the others what's going on." I deleted the text and looked for Veneziano's number

"Ah, okay. Can I talk to Ita, too?" Spain lit up and bounced around like some kid high on sugar as I pushed the button and put the phone to my ear. His words angered me for some reason. The hell was he so excited about? It was only my brother.

"You'll talk to him in a few hours. Now shut up, it's ringing." I listened close as the phone rang. Spain stayed obediently silent for once, but he still wouldn't stop jumping around. I was about to yell at him to stop when the phone was answered.

"_Um! Roma-" _It was Veneziano's voice. My reaction was instinatious.

"You IDIOT! What took you so fucking long to answer, goddammit?" I shouted into the receiver. Spain got startled and (finally) stopped bouncing around.

"_What? What? It's true? It's really you? How? You are Romano, aren't you?"_ I heard him say in a rushed voice. It's been a while since I've heard his loud, shrill voice through a phone. I winced a little.

"Of course it's me!" I answered. Spain finally snapped out of his shock and reached for my phone, latching onto it. "Ack, wait- Spain! You can't take my phone!" I tried to pry my phone from him. "Give it back!"

"But I want to talk to Ita too!" He pouted. I managed to yank it away.

"The hell is your problem? You can talk to him later!" I hissed, putting my ear back to the receiver. Veneziano was in the middle of a sentence.

"… _can't be true. Why?" _My brow furrowed and I shook my head.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Now listen, Veneziano-" I stopped when I suddenly heard little sniffles and hitches of breath on the other end. I blinked and frowned in confusion. "Are you crying?"

"_No, I- I'm just so happy…"_ I suddenly jumped when I heard another phone go off. I turned to Spain, who was quickly pulling his phone out. He made a gesture to show he will be right back and ran off to answer his phone. I made a face and managed to catch the last bit of what Veneziano was saying. _"…fill in for me at work tomorrow?"_

"Huh?" I frowned. Fill in at work?

"_Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and forever and ever… Can you?" _I fell silent. He meant his duties as a nation. Does that mean he's already given up? He sees no hope in getting out alive anymore? I gritted my teeth. Fuck that.

"No." I answered through my teeth.

"_Romano-"_ He began.

"It's your job. Just get your ass back here and fucking take care of it yourself!" I shouted back at him. "And if you really expect me to leave you behind in a place like this, you're a downright idiot! You think you're handling this alone, but well, you have another thing coming. That thing that is after you is going to have to deal with both halves of Italy now!"

"…_mano… can't…ello…"_ Veneziano's voice came out staticy and choppy.

"Veneziano? Hello? Can you hear me?" There was a long pause before I heard the dial tone. I looked at my phone and saw the reception bar disappear. "Tsk, it got fucking cut off!" I sighed. "Oh well. At least I got to call him." I put my phone away and looked around. "God, my brother is such a pain in the ass." I grumbled under my breath. I frowned when I didn't see Spain. "Spain and the others are taking their sweet time getting back here." I couldn't help but worry. Spain should've been back by now. It doesn't take that long to talk on the fucking phone. It doesn't surprise me that Austria and his groups are slow to get here, considering the 3 hour trip, but they sent that text almost 2 hours ago. "Why aren't they back already?" I hissed under my breath.

I looked back at the house. It was sunny out, but the position of the sun cast a shadow. It looked really scary. I wanted to run as fast as I could as far away as possible. Just knowing what is in there scares the living shit out of me, but like hell I'd ever admit it to anyone. I sighed. "Veneziano…" I had a mission. I have to get my little brother out of this. I have to save him. If I don't, no one will. I walked toward the front door. There's no turning back now.

"I'm coming."

**X-X-X**

_We had the same beginnings_

_Our fate led us to different paths_

_I went with one man_

_And you with the other_

_Now we're together again_

_But I have come to realize_

_We'll risk our lives_

_To save one another_

_But the one you wait for_

_and the one I love_

_are the ones who save us from ourselves_

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**Translation:**

**che cosa?- what?**

**lo siento- i'm sorry**

**mi tomate- my tomato**

**Most of the dialog from the phone conversation is from the game, and so is the dialog for the next few chapters. I made up Romano's mini-rant because that is the part that was choppy and cut-off for Veneziano. I hope you guys like how I wrote it~ **

**The poem is something I wrote in between chapters. I thought it would be good here. Interpret it however you want.**

**Rate and Review.**


	4. From the Cave to the World Zoo

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**I dedicate this chapter to my friend, Maria, and my boyfriend for being wonderful Spains and encouraging me to write this story as well as a Spain POV in this chapter and a few upcoming chapters :3 Wonderful beings, the both of them. A**** special thank you to my reviewers, some who already got my thanks via PM. You guys are so very nice and this is only the 4th chapter. Thanks to everyone who hasn't reviewed but has favorited and alerted to this story and even me as an author. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as you've enjoyed the story so far.**

**I'm feeling sentimental, can't you tell? XP On with the story~**

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"Shit, open already!" I tugged and tugged at the doorknob, so hard that I thought it would come off like the doorknob at the World Summit. I backed away and huffed. It was no use. The front door, the only entrance I knew of, was locked. Fuck. How was I supposed to get in now?

"Roma!" I heard a shout behind me. I turned to see Spain jogging towards me.

"What took you so long, dammit?" I barked at him, agitated about the door and his long absence. It's been about 5 minutes since I disconnected with Veneziano. Since then, I've been trying to open the front door and wait for Spain to get back before we went in, since the idiot would probably follow me in, whether I left him behind or not. I had to make sure he kept close so he wouldn't get himself killed.

"Lo siento, Roma. Austria wouldn't stop talking until Hungary grabbed the phone from him." Spain grinned stupidly as he rubbed the back of his head. I rolled my eyes. I should've known.

"Next time, don't go so far away. I couldn't even see you, damn bastard." I grumbled. Spain frowned in confusion.

"I didn't go far away. I just went by the gate. Thought, now that I think about it, I couldn't see you until I got closer to the door…" He looked off into space as he thought. "I wonder why that is…"

"I don't know and I don't care." I said bluntly, getting distracted by his thinking face for a moment (which just goes to show how often I've seen the Spaniard actually think). "The front door won't open, dammit! Do something!" I pouted. Spain sighed and walked over to the door. He jiggled the lock for a moment before turning back to me.

"It's locked, Roma."

"No shit. Open it!"

"If that was an easy task, Roma, the people inside would've escaped a long time ago. I'm assuming it can't be kicked open and you can't unlock it from the outside." Spain shrugged. "I guess we're locked out."

"Oh, well that's just fucking fantastic." I snarled, stomping away. "You're hopeless! I'm going to look around."

"Ack, Roma, don't go without me!" I heard him run after me. "We have to stick together in enemy territory."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just keep up, bastard. I'm not going to stop and wait for you." I grumbled.

**X-X-X**

I was still pissed off about the door, but I began to calm down as we roamed the grounds. For a haunted mansion housing some evil being that can twist time and kill personifications of actual nations, it had a really beautiful outdoor area. There were a few wild flowers and beautiful trees growing. It reminded me of a private park. I began gazing around in interest. I was so lost in the sights; it took me a while to notice that Spain was staring at me. I blinked and turned my head away.

"Wh-what the hell are you staring at?"

"Oh, nothing. You just look really cute, with that wondering look on your face." The tomato bastard chirped. I gritted my teeth to keep from shouting at him. What a weirdo.

"Whatever. Make yourself useful and look for something out of the ordinary. We need to find a way to get into the mansion." I ordered, feeling a little smug that I was the one in charge here. Spain nodded obediently (that's a first) and walked toward the building. I kept a distance and looked around for some hidden passage or something. I patted around at trees and rocks for some hollow sound or feeling, looking around for pitfalls, maybe a hatch, etc.

"Roma! I think I found it!" Spain shouted. I turned and saw him behind the house, waving to me with a goofy look on his face. I sighed; part of me wondered how I got stuck with him and part of me thinking he looks cu- ANYWAY, I walked in his direction. When I got close, he turned and walked further away. My brow furrowed and I followed him a good distance away. I was just about to ask how in the hell he got this far away from me when he stopped and turned to look at me. In front of him was what looked like a cave entrance.

"Think this leads into the house?" He asked me. I stepped closer.

"One way to find out."

"Be careful, Roma. It looks like it drops down."

"Yeah, I see that." When I got closer to the edge, I crouched down and crawled carefully closer and peeked in. Like Spain said, it dropped down. Right in front of me, a rope ladder hung down. The position of the sun caused a shadow that made the direct bottom hard to see, but there seemed to be some light cast down. There seemed to be a path that turned a corner, the walls made of grey stone. I heard a few echoes coming from it and I tensed. It sounded like… footsteps. Shuffling footsteps. Was it one of the nations, or the monster? I began to crawl backwards, away from the entrance, when a figure stepped into the light.

It was human, pale, wearing almost all blue. From my point of view, I could see the hair on top of its head was a light brown. A single curl poked out. My heart jumped in excitement and relief. Was it Veneziano? I crawled forward until I was almost right at the edge. I could faintly hear a voice bouncing off the cave walls.

"… there was one I hid with America, and then…" I nodded to myself. That was my brother's voice. There was no one else on the planet with an Italian-accented voice that shrill and girly.

"I finally found you, Venezianooo!" I called out.

"What? Is it really Ita?" Spain ran up to stand beside me, looking down and being careful not to fall in. I didn't pay any attention to him. My call stopped Veneziano cold for a moment before he looked around frantically and finally looked up, the light hitting his face. He looked worse for wear. His face was dirty and he had bags under his eyes. The frown on his face felt really out of place, as did his open eyes. I could faintly see streaks of red on the front of his uniform, too.

"Ro- wh-why?" He gasped out. I sighed in relief.

"Good thing the front door wasn't opening, so I was just loitering around here." I half said to myself. "I finally found you! What the hell have you been up to?" I couldn't help but chuckle bitterly to myself. This sounded more like a family reunion than a rescue.

"Ita! Thank god!" Spain sighed in relief as well. "You can't stay there all alone! Where are the other guys?" He wondered. I briefly saw a flash of emotion- guilt? - On Veneziano's face before he stared at us in despair and outrage.

"What- what are you doing here? We didn't ask you to come here!" He cried. My brow furrowed. Way to make me feel like the unwanted guest (even if it IS true). I almost forgot what a shrewd little bastard he could be. I chose to ignore the questions.

"What did you do with the clocks?" I shouted back to him. "Did you break all of them?" His eyes grew wider, which I didn't think was even possible, and he stared at me in shock.

"How- how do you know about that?" He stammered out. I shook my head.

"Answer me! Did you break the last clock?"

"It can't be…" He took a step or two back in shock. "You weren't supposed to know about that… What are you even doing here in the first place?" I growled in annoyance. Damn bastard. Spain put his hand on my shoulder.

"Romano, I know you're happy to see him, but don't get too excited…" He murmured to me. I shrugged his hand off.

"Veneziano! I'm coming there right now, so don't move!" I started to swing my leg over into the hole so I could climb down the ladder.

"N-no!" Veneziano shouted in panic, stopping me before I could move my leg in. "Don't come here, no matter what! Go home!" He ordered. "What are you doing here? How- how did you know?" he demanded. I scowled. How can I make him understand? Dammit, do I have to go through this again?

I blinked suddenly in realization. No, I didn't have to explain like I did before. Unlike Spain and Austria, Veneziano knew what was going on. Hell, he was the one living it. He would understand what was happening better than them. I closed my eyes, preying I wasn't underestimating my brother's intelligence.

"Try saying my name." I said simply. There was a small pause.

"R-Romano…" He said hesitantly. I shook my head and opened my eyes to glare at him.

"No! Say my full name!" I demanded. He frowned, looking confused, before slowly answering.

"Italy. Italy Roma...no…" His voice trailed off. I nodded.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm Italy, too!" I declared. "I don't know everything you remember, but I do plan on carrying at least a little of that burden on my shoulders!" A bit of understanding slowly began to show on his face. I continued. "You haven't been alone all this time! You've… broken quite a few clocks, haven't you?" He nodded slowly.

"Y-yes… but…"

"The flow of time got fixed. That's why we were finally able to get here" Spain explained. "Not just us, you know? The others are coming to help you guys."

"I fiiiiiinally found you." I sighed out. "I've been trying to find you for ages. Couldn't find you, the phone wouldn't work, and sometimes I felt these shocks-" I put a hand unconsciously to my heart. "-like half of me disappeared, every single time." I glared at him, my eyes stinging faintly as I remembered the feeling of being sawed in half, of my whole body erupting in pain from the panic in Italy that followed. "You… IDIOT!" I spat at him.

Veneziano stared back at me sadly, looking like he finally understood. He held my gaze for a moment before looking down. His hands slowly curled into fists and he slowly shook his head at whatever he was thinking. He began taking steps back. "Veneziano?" I called out. He looked up at me.

"I'm sorry, Romano. I have to go." He took a few more steps away. "I'm sorry, but… just go home!" He turned on his heel and ran off, rounding the corner. His footsteps echoed and slowly faded out. My heart felt like lead at his words.

"Ack! YOU BASTARD!" I shouted after him. "Wait!" I began to swing my leg over the edge. A hand shot out and grabbed my arm.

"Whoa! No, Romano!" Spain exclaimed, pulling me away from the entrance by my arm. I opened my mouth to yell at him, but he interrupted. "I'll try going down the ropes first, and you just wait here, okay?" I made a face, wanting to argue, but the look on his face told me it was hopeless. There's no way he's going to let me go down the ladder first.

"Can you really use this ladder?" I peeked over the edge carefully. "I can't see the bottom very well…" I frowned; a little worried about how safe it would be to go down there (f-for myself, obviously!)

"I think it's okay?" I didn't like his questioning tone. He peeked over the edge as well. "Though I can't see it very well, either." I eyed him. He smiled reassuringly and put his hands on my shoulders, as if to stake me into the ground. "The Boss will go down first, so wait just a moment!" Before I could say anything, he pulled away and lowered himself into the hole, carefully stepping onto the rope ladder and climbing down. When his whole body was down in the hole, I peeked carefully over the edge and kept my eye on him.

"It's fine." He reported. "The ropes aren't even rotten." He continued down. Suddenly, he disappeared into the shadows and there was a loud _crunch_, followed by a groan. My heart skipped a beat and I squinted to try to see in the dark.

"Spain? A-are you okay?" I called down. There was a groan in response and my insides felt like lead again.

"Ow… Oh no, the ropes are burnt halfway down… I hadn't noticed…" I heard him say. I frowned when he uttered another sound of pain.

"H-hey!" I called again. There was a slight pause and I heard softer crunching sounds, probably him getting up.

"Romano." He stepped into the light to look up at me. He was covered in dirt now, but he didn't look seriously injured. I sighed in relief.

"Yeah?"

"I'm so glad Ita is all right." He smiled. I felt a little angry at his words for some reason. I looked away and made an 'hn' sound in my throat. If he heard it, he didn't show it. "I'll see if I can find something to use instead of the ladder. Wait just a moment." I nodded.

"All right. Just don't take too long, or I'll go down this, anyway." I threatened. "A-and… b-be careful." I muttered, feeling myself turned red as I looked away.

"Oh! Are you worried about me? That makes me so happy!" He cheered. I tried to object, but I ended up stammering incoherently. "I'll be right back, so just wait right there!" He flashed me another sunny smile before turning and running down the path. I could hear his footsteps receding.

"F-fucking bastard." I snarled to myself, sitting back and leaning against the side of the entrance, my feet hanging off the edge, preparing myself for a long wait.

**X-X-X**

I walked out of the chilly cave, on my guard for any monsters, and into what looked like a meeting room. There was a huge table in the center, with a few bookshelves along the wall and a cabinet. I peeked under the table only to find a few chairs. I looked in the cabinet and found it to be empty and not even remotely dusty. It surprises me how clean the place is.

I smiled cheerfully despite the circumstance. I was finally able to be useful, even at the expense of my back~. Since Roma explained the situation to me, I felt like I couldn't do anything to help. He was the one who could see what was going on. Ita and the others were trapped here and we were on the outside. I was sure Roma felt useless as well, but I didn't even have memories to fall back on like he did. Now I had a job: protecting my little henchman.

He wasn't so little anymore, I knew that. As he always told me, he was perfectly able to protect himself. I simply couldn't help myself. With something as dangerous as what he described roaming around and him without a weapon… I froze in place. Oh no, I forgot he had no weapon, and now he's all alone back there! I began to panic and ran out of the room. I couldn't waste any more time. I had to find a way for him to get down here, or for me to get up there. Either way, I can't stay away from my Roma's side for long.

I kept running and found myself at a crossroads. There were two paths that led to two different doorways. I paused and frowned. Which way should I go? I couldn't waste time. Who knows where that monster is! It could come after Romano any moment! I took a deep breath and chose the old fashioned way- Eenie Meeni Miny Mo. My finger landed on the hallway straight ahead and I ran for it as fast as I could. I opened the door and stumbled in.

"…doesn't show up soon-…" I heard an annoying-familiar American voice say before everything went silent. The room was divided by a set of bars. On the other side of the bars were all the other nations, staring at me in surprise. I stared back, feeling very confused.

"Whoa! Wh-what is this? What are you all doing?" I asked, looking at them each in turn.

"Someone showed up…" China muttered. I felt even more confused and stepped closer to the bars.

"Huh? What? A zoo? A world zoo? Do not touch or feed the nations?" I stared at them. They stared back in disbelief.

"I can't believe it… Is he for real?" France asked, looking around as if making sure everyone else was seeing what he was seeing. I wasn't too surprised at this reaction. Romano said they didn't know what was going on yet in this time… or something like that. Thinking of Romano made me remember.

"Oh, I just remembered! By the way, do you guys have a ladder or anything like that? Roma-"

"SPAIN!" Germany suddenly exploded. "OPEN THIS CELL!"

"Ack!" I jumped in the air and tilted my head at him. He was red in the face and more angry-looking than usual. "Wh-what? What do you mean?" I looked at them all, so very confused. "I mean, didn't Ita come this way?"

"We'll explain the situation later! Just open this cell first! Please!" Japan begged me. I blinked. I've never seen him this desperate.

"A-alright, alright." I walked over to the door on the other end of the room. There was a latch positioned on the outside, unreachable from the inside. I lifted it and opened the cell. Everyone inside all but ran out. Everything happened so quickly, I didn't notice Prussia coming at me until he all but knocked me over.

"Spain, you've come to save us!" He exclaimed, giving me a huge hug. I laughed in surprise and hugged him back. France came over and patted me on the back.

"Oui, mon ami. Your timing could not be better." He purred. I winced a little, that area still particularly sore from my fall.

"I hate to break up this little love fest, but speaking of your timing, how exactly are you here?" England said. I grimaced. Rescue victim or not, I still didn't like him.

"Romano and I came here to help you guys." I answered.

"Italy's brother is here, too?" Prussia broke away to look at me in shock. I nodded.

"Yep! It's a little hard for me to explain, so I'll leave that to him." I said, then blinked when I realized something. "Speaking of Ita, where is he?" There was suddenly a very long silence. I looked at everyone. There was a mixture of anger, confusion, and sadness amongst their faces. "What… what is going on?"

"We'll explain everything to you and Romano later." Japan answered seriously. "For now, let's go join Romano and look for Italy."

"Look for him? You don't know where he is?" I frowned. Both Italies are left alone with a monster roaming around?

"He ran off by himself." Japan explained. "Let us get Romano and I'll tell you both what happened." He began walking to the door, followed by everyone else. Prussia and France slung their arms over my shoulders.

"Yes, I've been wondering how the cute little asshole is doing." France winked at me. I laughed and elbowed him in the side lightly before we began following Japan and the others.

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	5. Operation Locate Ita

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**This chapter is one of my longest for any fic that I've written for. I figure it's enough to tide you over for a week ^^*. Be warned, the POV flips twice in this one. I'll tell you now: Spain speaks the most.**

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"That idiot… I didn't know he could be that STUPID!" Romano snarled out, kicking at the rocks at the base of the entrance of the cave in frustration. The dust and some stones dropped down and the nations that were unfortunate enough to stand that close began coughing and dodging stones.

"Roma, don't do that!" I coughed out, trying to clear the dust from my eyes.

"What? You already know what's going on?" France brushed some dirt off of his uniform and tilted his head. "All we told you is that Italy locked us up and left on his own…"

"Yeah, I don't really get it either," I admitted with a small shrug. "But it looks like he shares some memories with Ita." I peek up at Roma as best I could. He looked fine, not at all wounded or worn. He was even pacing in anger; he was so wound-up. I let out a sigh of relief through my nose. I all but ran at top speed to see if he was okay and I was too out of breath to ask him, but I almost had a heart attack when I found him sitting against the side of the entrance with his legs hanging into the hole and his eyes closed. He nearly fell in when I call out to him, which Prussia, France, and I thought was funny, but then he yelled at me for scaring him like that. I didn't like being told off by Roma. Even though he is younger than me and my former henchman, he always makes me feel ashamed, often when it's not really my fault.

"Spain!" Roma's voice jolted me out of my thoughts and I focused to see he had stopped pacing and was looking down at me. "Did you find something to get me down there?" I frowned in confusion, and then I blinked.

"Oh… I forgot." I admitted sheepishly. Between freeing the nations from their zoo, catching up with my friends, and worrying for Romano's wellbeing, I had forgotten to ask if there was some ladder I could use. Romano stared at me blankly before hitting himself in the forehead with a loud _SMACK_. I frowned. He shouldn't do that, it would leave a mark.

"We don't have time for that." Japan fretted. "First, we'll go after Italy, so France can stay here with—" I was about to argue that I should stay with Romano instead, but Roma interrupted.

"I can't wait! Enough of this!" He crouched and slung his legs over so he was on the rope ladder. "Stand back!" He warned before climbing down.

"Er… wait a minute." I began, my heart beating faster and faster as he neared the burnt half of the ladder. "Ro—!" His foot suddenly slipped and he let go in shock, dropping. My heart just about stopped. "—maaaaa!" I dashed forward to catch him, but a pair of pale navy-clad arms beat me to it.

"Are you okay, Italy's Brother?" Prussia asked in worry, lowering Romano to his feet. Roma blinked several times, a little unsteady at first but managed to stand straight with my best friend's help.

"Y-yeah… I think so…" He mumbled. Prussia backed off a little to give him some breathing room.

"Nice catch!" America admired.

"Let's split up into two groups to look for him." America's brother, Canada, said softly. "We'll start from the basement." Everyone nodded in agreement. Roma tried to walk over to them, but ended up stumbling and walking toward the wall. I grabbed him by the shoulders to keep him from slamming into it.

"O-okay. We'll go after… Veneziano… too." He said slowly to the wall. I frowned in worry.

"Are you feeling dizzy? You're going the wrong way." England said. I don't know if it's just me, but I detected a hint of amusement in his voice. I sent a glare in his direction but otherwise ignored him.

"I feel fine!" Romano grumbled, trying weakly to shake off my arms. "Stop laughing at me, the fall just shocked me." Ah, so it wasn't just me. I helped Romano turn around to face the others.

"Well then, let's divide the house up among the groups." Germany began. "Group 1 will search the basement and the first floor. Group 2 will search the second floor, third floor, and the fourth floor."

"West, let's be in group 2 together!" Prussia slung his arm around his younger brother. Germany sighed, but complied.

"I'll go with you too, Germany." Japan said politely.

"I'll take Group 1 with Canadia and England!" America said. England protested, but Canada just sighed and nodded.

"Any other preferences?" Japan asked. China and Russia chose Japan's group and France chose America's. He nodded and looked at me and Roma. "Do you two have weapons?" I nodded and reached back to tap the war axe strapped to my back. Romano hesitated, and then shook his head. "I see... We'll stop by the hideout to find you one after we're done searching. It's best you come with us, in that case."

"A… hideout?" Romano frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. Even I found it to be strange. Romano never mentioned anything about a hideout. Japan smiled slightly.

"I'll explain everything later." He turned to America. "If you are done searching early, then go back to the hideout first thing." America nodded in understanding.

"My Spanish friend, we haven't seen each other in so long!" France purred. "Come along with me." He slung his arm over my shoulder. I nodded with a smile and nudged Roma.

"You okay now? Does anything hurt?" I fussed. Romano scoffed and actually managed to shrug off my hands.

"I'm fine, you idiot. Stop freaking out. You go have fun with the pervert; I'll go get a weapon." He grumbled. France gasped, insulted by his words.

"I'm no pervert! You just don't understand_ l'amour~_ like I do!" Roma effectively ignored him and gave me a serious look.

"If you find my brother before I do, take good care of him." He commanded. I smiled and nodded.

"Of course, mi tomate!" I chirped. He opened his mouth, probably to yell at me for calling him a tomato again, when Germany cleared his throat and told Romano that they were headed out. He nodded, shot me an annoyed look, and walked out of the cave with Germany, Prussia, Japan, Russia, and China.

"All right, we'll cover more ground if we split up into pairs." England said. "So, since the basement is small and we've seen the majority of it already, you two—" He gestured to me and France. "—can search the rest. America, Canada, and I will search the first floor."

"Sounds like a plan!" America grinned and locked arms with his brother. "When you two are done, meet us on the first floor! Good luck!" He ran out, Canada in tow, and England followed, leaving me and France alone.

"Alright, now, let's go search the basement." France sang, walking out of the cave. I followed beside him with a smile. It was good seeing my friends again. It felt like forever since I have seen them. "So, my friend, what you and the little grumpy Italian have been up to while we've been here?" France purred, winking at me for some reason. "Tell me everything!" So as we walked, I began to tell him everything.

**X-X-X**

I felt really tense as I walked through the house. The basement was really cold, but the rest of the house (or, at least, the first floor) was no different. I felt chills roll up and down my spine. It felt like something was following me. I kept peeking over my shoulder and seeing nothing. I had to stop doing so, though, because it made my head spin again. I hate to admit it, but I felt a little safe being in a group, even if it IS a group with the potato eaters and the Japanese nerd and RUSSIA.

I frowned. Why did I have to get stuck with them? Who in their right mind puts everyone that I hate and am kind of scared shitless of in one group? Just toss in France and you've got yourself the Hated by Romano club, the Haunted Mansion Chapter. Ugh. Then again, I guess it's better than being with England and America. I could actually hear them downstairs now. They must've finished searching the basement.

"Okay, Russia and China, you two start searching the 3rd floor." Germany ordered. The two nodded and went to go up another flight of stairs. He turned to me. My eyebrow rose. He looked really uncomfortable. Good. "Erm, you and I will go get one of my spare weapons for you to use. I should have one somewhere in the safe room." I made a face and nodded. As much as I hated being near him, arming myself was more important than my distaste for my brother's friends.

"Japan and I will go to the room next door and look for Italy there." Prussia announced. Japan nodded and the two of them began to walk down a corridor on the left. Germany went to a door on the right. I began to follow him when I heard a huge crash behind me. All 4 of us froze in place. I turned toward the sound. It was too close to have come from the floor below us or above us. There was another sound, the crunching of wood. It definitely came from the room in the opposite corridor. I didn't even think. I ran toward it.

"Wait, Romano!"

"Stop, you don't have a weapon!" I heard them call after me before I heard their footsteps behind me. I could care less what they were saying. All my brain registered at that moment was that my brother was in trouble. I ran to the door where the sounds were coming from and ripped it open.

"Eeeek!" I screamed. Right in front of me was a giant grey… _thing_! It was huge, barely able to fit in the room without brushing up against the ceiling. It had giant muscles and an even bigger head. His hands and feet were claws that looked horribly familiar. It was also naked. You ever come face to face with a giant grey ass? It's not pretty. Through its legs, I could see Veneziano, just barely standing straight with fresh blood on his tattered clothes. His book was open and he was panting raggedly.

"What the hell?" Prussia shouted. I barely noticed that they had followed me in.

"Hah… hah…!" Veneziano tried to speak, only managing in letting out a cough.

"Italy?" Japan gasped.

"Italy!" Germany was about to rush forward, but Japan grabbed his shoulder to stop him. A second later and I knew why. The monster was fading away, becoming transparent before finally disappearing. We all stood there as silence briefly filled the room. Then, Veneziano let out an exhausted laugh.

"Hehe… you found me…" He smiled fondly at us before his legs finally gave out and he fell over.

"Italy!" Germany called, running over to my brother and kneeling beside him. We followed his lead immediately. I crouched on his other side, opposite Germany, while Prussia and Japan kneeled beside his head.

"It's… you, Germany…" He murmured, smiling at Germany before looking at me. "Romano, too, even though I told you not to…" He let out a weak chuckle. I thought I faintly heard him mutter "I should've known…" I paid no attention. I was too pissed and horrified.

"Wh—why—why didn't you run?" I shouted at him. "Don't be stupid! You should've waved your white flag like you always do!" I gritted my teeth as he shook his head slowly.

"Waving that… wouldn't have saved everyone." He drew in a breath and let out a weak cough. "That's why I decided to do all I could…" His voice faltered and he grunted in pain. I could hear Prussia and Japan yelling to grab bandages and asking him if he could move. I didn't pay much attention.

"Just stop it!" I snarled, not being able to hold in the stinging tears in my eyes anymore. "Why do you always have to do things alone? Take a look around you!" I leaned in slightly so I was closer to his face. I could see his eyes drooping. "Shit—! " I murmured under my breath. "When you wake up, I'm going to fucking kill you!" I threatened unimpressively. Veneziano frowned slightly.

"Aww… no… but when I… wake up again… I'll be…" He groaned in pain again and closed his eyes. "Oh... but I'm… so tired… and it really… hurts…" he shook his head slowly. "What am I going to do… I haven't yet…" His voice faded out and he slumped on the floor. The three seconds it took for Prussia to check his pulse was the longest in my life. I just stared at my hands, bloody from the blood on the floor, not seeing much due to the angry tears blurring my vision.

"Oh thank God, he's still breathing." Prussia sighed out in relief. "I was so scared."

"Let's go back to the safe place at once. Prussia, please call the others back." Japan ordered. Prussia nodded and stood up. "Germany, you carry Italy." Germany seemed to snap out of a daze and stashed something in his pocket before he began to lift Veneziano in his arms. "Romano, you can help me take care of his injuries." He looked at me kindly but seriously. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and stood up.

"Yeah… sorry." I mumbled. I didn't know what the hell I was apologizing for. It just felt like the right thing to say.

"Did Italy… actually beat that monster all on his own?" Prussia breathed in wonder.

"He is severely injured!" Germany barked, speaking for the first time since my brother fell. "Hurry up!" Prussia jumped to attention and ran out of the room to get the other nations. Germany held my brother in a bridal hold and ran as fast as he could out of the room. Japan and I followed at his heels. I could hear Prussia's footsteps running around the floor above us. We ran together to the door where the macho potato was going to take me earlier.

The rest was a blur. I didn't remember the room we went into or where the door to the safe room was or any of the faces we passed by as we made a mad dash for the rows of beds. All I remember is Japan handing me a roll of gauze and my hands almost working by themselves as he and I disinfected and wrapped my brother's injuries.

**X-X-X**

When we had finished searching the basement and the first floor, we had decided to go to the safe room and wait for the others to get back. It was really amazing! Canada told me it was built just above the second floor roof, so the monster doesn't even know it exists! It was wonderfully made, with full bathrooms and a bunch of beds and a kitchen area. We all settled down at the tables and relaxed, sharing stories of what happened in here and what happened outside.

The peace was shattered quickly when the door suddenly burst open and flying up the stairs came Roma, Japan, and Germany carrying a bloody Ita. We all jumped to our feet and followed them, yelling and asking what happened. As Japan and Roma cleaned Ita up, Germany filled us in. Ita was found worn and injured after killing a huge enemy on the second floor all by himself. He fell unconscious moments after. I stood back and waited for Roma to finish before going over and asking if he was okay.

"I'm fine, you bastard." He grumbled, waving me off. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked like he had been crying. He groaned and rubbed his head.

"Do we have any aspirin?" I asked Japan, who was cleaning his hands. He nodded and handed me the first aid kit. Inside were a few bandages, rubbing alcohol, gauze pins, leftover rolls of gauze, and some painkillers and aspirin.

"I already gave some to Italy, if that's what you're worried about." He said curiously. I shook my head.

"That's not it. Excuse us." I grabbed Roma's hand before he could object and led him to the kitchen. He shouted profanities and demanded I let him go, but didn't try to pull away himself. I figure that must mean he really did want to go. He stopped when we reached the kitchen and I let him go to fill up a glass of water from the sink.

"I told you, I'm fine." He huffed. I smiled and handed him a pill in one hand and the glass in the other.

"Humor me, then. A headache would just slow you down." I cheerfully replied. He stared at me, scowling but a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. After a while, he grabbed the items from my hands and leaned against the counter to swallow the pill and take small sips of the water.

"…thanks." He murmured. I smiled and carefully ruffled his hair, careful to avoid his mysterious curl.

"Anytime, Roma. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Yeah, just… pissed off. My brother is such an idiot." He shook his head, looking like he was going to cry again. Instinct took over and I reached over to give him a hug.

"Don't cry, Romano. He'll be okay, I know it. You did a good job of wrapping up his wounds with Japan. He'll feel better in no time." I murmured soothingly, rubbing his back. He was frozen in my hold for a little bit before just dropping his arms and standing there. He didn't pull away like I thought he would. To my surprise, he rested his forehead against my shoulder and let out a small sniffle. I smiled and continued to hold him.

I figured out a while ago since he told me what has been happing that all he needs is someone to be there for him. When he first felt his brother die, he must've felt heart-wrenching pain and he had to go through it alone. His brother was trapped far away and I wasn't there to help him yet. Even if it's a small gesture like this, a cup of water and a hug, he will accept it despite his instinct to push it away. In my opinion, Roma can't afford to push me or anyone else away anymore. Not after what he has been through.

"Well, I hate to break up this touching moment, but we're starting a meeting and Japan wonders if you two will join us." I closed my eyes when I felt Roma stiffen. Damn you, England.

"Y-yeah, we're coming." Roma said, putting a hand to my chest and shoving me away. I reluctantly did so and watched him walk back to the beds, avoiding my eyes. I sighed and followed him, ignoring the smirking Englishman. All of the nations were now present, except for Russia, as we walked over to them. Roma went to stand beside Germany at Ita's bedside. I leaned against a bed not too far off. England passed us to stand in the back. Moments later, Russia walked out of the bathroom and joined England in the back.

No one said anything for a while; we just watched Ita as he slowly breathed in and out, all wrapped up in bandages. He looked very broken, not at all like the cheerful Italian I am used to seeing. It was frightening to look at.

"He's covered in injuries…" Germany began softly. I frowned. He was closest to Ita, next to Roma. This must be hardest on him.

"He fought alone. It's only natural." France sighed.

"I heard it was much bigger than before, but… he wasn't surprised at all, was he?" Canada asked in his usual soft tone.

"You mean he already knew? Or…" Russia trailed off. Judging by everyone's expressions, they already suspected this to be the only answer.

"We should think… that he's already seen it many times over." China stated.

"I agree." Japan spoke up, looking down at Ita's face sadly. "That would explain his emotional strength and why he has got used to fighting. I don't think it's something he had from the very beginning."

"It feels like something that he accumulated and then finally took shape. But we can't really be sure." America said. "We have to hear it from his own mouth."

"What can we do, then?" Prussia piped up. "We can't just demand that he tells us everything as soon as he wakes up. Do you really think he would tell us just like that?" He scoffed. I nodded in agreement but kept quiet.

"Well… if we don't ask him, we'll never know, will we? I think we should at least try to interrogate him, even if it proves to be fruitless." England said. The rest of the conversation went back and forth—to interrogate or to not interrogate. I tune most of it out, and one look at Roma told me that he had tuned it out as well. He was just blankly staring at his brother, lost in his own thoughts.

"Romano, you know something, don't you?" America suddenly spoke up, jolting both me and Roma out of our thoughts and causing us both to look at him. "Can't you tell us?" America asked.

"Roma?" I looked back at Romano. He looked down for a moment before answering.

"I do know. I don't know everything, but I know more than you do." He admitted.

"Then…"

"But, knowing the truth, I also understand my brother's decision." He continued. He shook his head slowly. "I can't just tell you something that he's so desperate to hide."

"But this isn't only about him!" England argued. "Other people's lives are at stake! What are we supposed to do now?" Romano was taken aback by the outburst.

"… Sorry, I don't know, either." He avoided everyone's eyes, looking guilty. I frowned.

"Go easy on him." I said in my henchman's defense. "I don't know what to do, either, but you're being too harsh on Romano. Give him a break." I eyed England when I said the last line. He nodded and murmured an apology, as did a few other nations. Roma shot me a look of gratitude before taking a deep breath and, to my surprise, looking at Germany.

"Potato Head, what do you think? Should we interrogate him or wait for him to talk when he's ready?" He hesitated before continuing. "I want your opinion." Needless to say, this surprised a lot of people, me included. Of all the nations in this house, of all the nations in the world, there was no one Romano hated more than Germany. Or so others thought. I personally thought Romano was permanently in 'Big Brother Mode' and was just trying to protect Ita from Germany's influence, to no avail. It was rather sweet of him.

"Germany?" Japan frowned in worry when Germany didn't answer Roma's question. There was a long silence before the big man spoke.

"I… I… just want him to wake up first." He said softly, gently laying a hand on Ita's forehead. "More than to interrogate him or to wait… more than anything, I want him to wake up." He brushed a stray strand of hair from the little Italian's face. "And then, if he wants to talk, I will listen, and if he doesn't want to talk, I won't ask him anything." He turned to look at all of us, his gaze landing on me and Romano last. "I think we should try trusting him."

A long silence followed. I eyed Roma carefully, but he seemed to like this answer. He nodded once and his gaze fell to look at his brother once more.

"…Yeah. Even Italy has learnt a thing or two, right?" Prussia shrugged and grinned. "When he wakes up, his opinion will be important."

"Indeed." Japan agreed. "Let's wait for him to wake up."

"Hm? Oh, w—wait!" Germany held up a finger. Ita has suddenly become slightly restless. He tried to move and kept wincing from his injuries. Everyone froze and waited.

"He's going to wake up." Romano murmured, slowly sitting down on Ita's bed. I took a step or two closer to see him better. After a few more movements and shifts, Ita's eyes finally fluttered open.

"Oh. He's awake." Russia stated. I peeked at him to see that he had moved closer as well.

"Are you okay? Hey." England frowned.

"I'm so relieved." Japan sighed and smiled at the drowsy Italian. "Italy, do you know where you are?" Ita blinked a bunch of times, not saying anything. His brow furrowed and he looked from person to person in confusion and… panic.

"H-hey…" Romano started in alarm. "Veneziano?"

"What's wrong?" China asked, trying to get closer to look. Russia stopped him, however.

"Italy? What's the matter?" Prussia was also alarmed; his hand on his sword and looking around for any danger.

"… are…" Ita murmured something, so soft that none of us heard it.

"Hm? I'm sorry, Italy, I couldn't hear you." Germany said, leaning in closer to Ita. "Can you say that again?"

"Who… are… you…?" He murmured a little louder. Germany leaned away in shock. Everything seemed to turn into ice at that moment. No one said anything, no one moved, everyone seemed to hold their breath, and I don't know about anyone else, but I felt a huge chill go through my body. Italy wasn't freaking out about any danger or monster. He didn't recognize us. He has lost his memories.

"Ita…ly?"

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**I dunno why, but Cockblock!England is just fun to write XD Sorry for any England fans that might be offended. I myself am a fan of England. Anyway, Spain and Romano get progressively fluffy and this fic gets really sad in the next few chapters. Thou hath been warned. Arm thyself in case of feels.**

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	6. It's Better to Remember

**Disclaimer: I OWN HETAONI AND HETALIA! Lol jk.**

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The room was ice for about a heartbeat before everyone reacted. The nations in the back tried to move forward, their shouts scattered around the room. They shouted things at my brother like 'what do you mean?' and 'do you recognize me?' . Some people were still frozen, like me, Spain, and the other 3 surrounding Veneziano's confused and scared figure. Finally, their yelling got on my nerves. I turned to face them. "All of you get the fuck away from here!" I ordered. They stopped yelling, but no one moved. I glared at them. "Did you all go deaf? All you're doing is freaking him out more, so just GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HERE!" My raising tone got them moving. They swiftly filed out away from the bed area and went in different directions. Some went down the stairs, some retreated into the kitchen, and some just fled and stood/sat at the tables. The only nations remaining were Japan, the potato bastards, and the tomato bastard. I hesitated before looking at Germany (much to my distaste).

"Th—the less people, the better. You and you—" I nodded to Prussia. "—should go join the others." Germany nodded silently, but Prussia looked at me in outrage.

"What? Like hell I'm leaving little Italy—!"

"Bruder, he's right." The macho potato interrupted him. "This would go faster if there are less people hovering. Come, we'll get some beer from the kitchen." He walked around me as he spoke and put his hand on Prussia's shoulder. Prussia scowled and made sounds of protest, but followed Germany out. I sighed before finally looking at Spain. He was looking at me sadly. I didn't have to say anything; he already knew. He turned and followed the potato eaters to the kitchen.

"Should I leave as well?" I looked at Japan, who was smiling a little. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"No, you stay. Believe it or not, you're one of the only people trapped here that I can trust to help me with this." I admitted.

"I am honored." I opened an eye to see Japan bow as low as he could before straightening up and facing Veneziano. I looked at him as well. He looked almost stupidly confused, but also very thoughtful.

"Veneziano, do you remember who I am?" I asked straight out, dreading the worst. There was a pause before he answered, very slowly and carefully.

"_Fratello_. My big brother, Romano." He gave a small but familiar smile. I couldn't contain my sigh of relief.

"Italy, do you remember me?" Japan asked gently. Veneziano turned to look at him and opened his mouth to answer immediately but, like before, carefully.

"M-Mr. Japan." Japan and I both blinked. Mister? Since when has my brother ever addressed someone like that?

"Err, yes, but you may just call me Japan." The Asian nation answered, a little flustered. "Um, how are you feeling?"

"Hm? Oh, I feel fine, sir. A little sore, but there's no need to worry." He smiled kindly. My brow furrowed. Sir? What the hell?

"Th-that's good to hear." Japan smiled back at him, but I could see the worry in his eyes. He held up a finger to Veneziano and gestured me off to the side. "Romano, even if I have not known your brother longer than you have, there is no doubt on my mind that he does not normally act like that." He assumed. I nodded.

"Not as far as I can remember. He can be polite, but only when he thinks someone is going to hit him." I glanced over to see Veneziano try to sit up and wince. "Hey!" I ran over and helped him gently. "You shouldn't push yourself, dammit. You've just been attacked."

"R-really? By the Thing? How did I survive?" He looked at me with wide eyes. I frowned and looked at Japan for help. He looked thoughtfully at Veneziano before he turned to me.

"You should go clean him up. In the meantime, try to jog his memories. I'll call the others together and try to start up another meeting while we wait." He ordered. I nodded and offered my brother my hands. He took them and I gently helped him stand. I slung his arm around my shoulders so I could support him and we slowly walked past a few curious and worried nations into the bathroom.

**X-X-X**

The set-up was quick and painless. I picked one of 4 bathtubs in the huge bathroom, started the hot water, stripped my brother down, took off his bandages, and helped him into the tub. I would normally be embarrassed over seeing someone nude. I remember freaking out as a child because I had to do this for the tomato bastard when Turkey had beat him up particularly bad (god, I still had dre—…nightmares about that.), and don't even get me started on France, but this was my brother, after all. The fucker sleeps naked all the time and he often would crawl into my bed at night. This wasn't anything new to me. So, before I knew it, Veneziano was soaking in the tub and I was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the tub.

"Is the water okay for you?" I asked him. He smiled and nodded.

"Mmhm! Thank you, _fratello_!" He chirped and hesitantly stretched himself out, wincing a little.

"Good. So, I have a few questions to ask you." I began. He nodded, urging me to go ahead. "Do you remember anything about this house?" He frowned and looked down at his hands.

"Um, a few things. Bits and pieces. A lot of things are coming back to me now." He admitted. I nodded slowly.

"Alright. Do you remember the huge buff blonde guy that was standing next to you when you woke up?" I asked. He nodded brightly.

"Of course! Holy Roman Empire!" He said. I blinked. I haven't heard THAT name in a long time. Centuries, almost.

"Um, no, that's… not him. Holy Roman Empire is…" I couldn't bring myself to finish. His face fell and he nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I suspected so. He's, um, Mr. Germany, right?" I nodded.

"Right. And you remember Japan. How about the other guy, white hair, red eyes?" He had to think about that one.

"Mr. Prussia?" He checked.

"Yeah." I nodded. For what seemed like hours, I checked to see if he recognized any nation names. He remembered 'big brother France' and 'big brother Spain', he eventually remembered who England and America were after I described them. Russia, Canada, and China took a long while. After asking him about that, I grabbed a washcloth to start washing him and asked him about the memories he had of this house.

"I remember everyone dying around me." He murmured, looking down at his lap as I soaped up his shoulders. "Everything was stained in blood. I remember fighting with them only to see them get hurt trying to save me. I remember the monster that came after us." He shook his head and his hands balled into fists as I lifted them to carefully wash off the dirt on his arms.

"Do you remember turning back time?" I asked him carefully. He nodded.

"Yes, I remember doing that a few times."

"Any specific deaths?"

"I remember seeing everyone die, in various rooms and patterns." He started crying a little. I frowned and rubbed his arms, not wanting to get too close to him and get my clothes wet.

"Dammit, don't start crying. It's over now, they're all going to survive, we're all going to escape together." I tried to soothe him. After a while, he gave one final sniffle before he stopped crying.

"Thank you, _fratello_, for being here for me." He smiled at me. I rolled my eyes but let a tiny smile peek through the corner of my mouth.

"Not like you wanted me here in the first place, so don't thank me. Now, hold still, I have to rinse you off." I ordered, cupping some water in my hands. He nodded and sat still while I dumped water on him.

**X-X-X**

The whole situation worried me to no end. No matter what France said, I couldn't stop pacing and running my hand through my hair. Japan told me that Ita was alright, that he was just confused and Romano was going to straighten him out while he's giving him a bath. Still, I would rather see for myself. I couldn't get Ita's scared look or Roma's worried expression out of my head. I wish I could be in there to help him.

"Spain, cut it out already." Prussia barked at me. "_Mein gott_, your pacing is irritating. Just sit down already!"

"Yes, please sit down, Spain. Nothing good will come out of all this worrying. They'll be fine." France tried, once again, to calm me. I sighed, giving in, and finally sat down.

"Lo siento, my friends. I just wish I could help them in there, you know?"

"Don't you think I want to be in there, too?" Prussia grumbled. "God, the suspense is killing me." I frowned, feeling guilty now. Of course, I wasn't the only one worrying. Prussia and Germany were the ones who have gotten closest to Ita. He must be just as worried about him as I am. I was about to apologize again when the hatch of the hideout opened. Up the stairs came England and America, followed by Russia and China. I recalled that Russia and China were the ones who ran out when Romano ordered everyone away.

"How is he?" China asked immediately. France, Prussia, and I stood up from out seats while Japan and Germany broke out of their private conversation by the kitchen. Canada was in the corner, invisible as usual.

"He's in the bath right now. Romano is looking after him." Japan answered China as the 4 came closer. There was a short silence between us as we watched the door to the bathroom. I could faintly hear something moving in water.

"Um…" Canada began in his soft voice. "Maybe he has… amnesia?" A few of the nations exchanged looks.

"No, it looked like something a little different." England answered, pondering.

"It's similar to what I was like when we had just broken a clock." Japan elaborated. Prussia frowned in confusion.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"When we break a clock, he gets lots of strange memories and they get all mixed up." France explained to him.

"That's right." Japan nodded at France's explanation. "Italy also got so many memories that they pushed him to the limit, both physically and mentally." He shook his head sadly. "He got saturated with them. If any more memories pour in, he will only reject them."

"Reject? Reject what?" China wondered.

"The memories themselves." America answered before Japan could. "That's how it usually is. But Italy still tried somehow and… the line probably turned into dots." He shrugged.

"You mean his memories are all scattered about?" Germany looked hopeful. "So, if he tries thinking about them, they'll return in time?" Japan smiled at his friend reassuringly.

"Yes. The proof of that is that he immediately… if tentatively… called my name."

"Tentatively?" I frowned. "What do you mean by that?" Japan rocked back on his heels.

"Well… er…" Before he could answer, the door to the bathroom opened. Slowly, Romano stepped out, his clothes a little wet, and Ita, with his hand on Roma's shoulder for support. He was cleaner, there was no trace of blood on him aside from the dried blood on his clothes, but he still looked worn. His eyes had bags under them and he moved sluggishly. He was probably still in pain, poor Ita.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Roma said, breaking the silence. America half smiled at him.

"Uh, no, that was pretty quick." He looked at Ita with a wary smile. "Are you feeling a little better now, Italy?" Ita hesitated, looking at Romano out of the corner of his eye. Roma nodded once and Ita smiled at America sheepishly.

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry about all that. My head feels a lot better and I am fine now." I blinked. Italy's way of speaking wasn't normal, yet I have heard him speak like that before. Roma shot me a look, as if to say that this was freaking him as much as anyone.

"'Sir?' Er, Italy?" Prussia stepped closer, trying to smile hopefully. "You DO know who I am… don't you?" Ita smiled brightly and nodded.

"I do. He is Mr. Japan, "He pointed to Japan. "You are Mr. Prussia." He pointed to Prussia. "And he is…" He pointed to Germany, then stopped suddenly. He frowned and his brow furrowed. Germany looked at him expectantly. "Hol—" Ita began, then stopped himself. Germany looked at him in confusion. Ita looked at Roma's serious face for a moment. "Oh, er… Mr.…Germany…" He mumbled out. A few of the nations looked at each other in confusion and shock. I myself felt genuinely scared now. Forgetting any of us was one thing, but forgetting Germany...

"Italy? What's wrong with you?" Germany asked, worried.

"Doesn't it kinda feel… as if he's talking like when he was a kid?" I frowned, recalling how incredibly polite Ita was at a young age before getting to know me. "What happened?" I looked at Roma. He frowned at me.

"Well, his memories are kind of jumbled and he's a little confused." He told us defensively. "He still needs some time, okay?"

"Of course. Take your time." Russia smiled at the brothers. I could see Romano shudder a little, though he tried to hide it.

"Y-yes, sir. I'm sorry." Ita bowed his head slightly.

"And you stay with him, Romano." Japan said seriously. The nations around us began to slowly disband.

"Uh, w-wait!" Roma called. The nations paused to look at him. "I've been thinking all this time… and I think maybe I should tell you, after all…" He trailed off as England lifted a hand to stop him from continuing.

"Er, wait, wait. I appreciate the sentiment, but we really shouldn't have told you to talk without considering Italy's feelings." He admitted.

"It's still all right." France smiled kindly. "You just take care of your brother. If there's really no other way, we'll ask you again."

"That's right. There are many other things we have to solve. Maybe he will remember something while we're having a meeting." Canada shrugged and smiled reassuringly. "We can wait." Romano looked around at everyone to check if there was mutual agreement. There were a few mumbles of agreement, but most people just gave him a nod. When his eyes landed on me, I smiled at him and mouthed _it's okay_. He pursed his lips slightly.

"I see… All right." He nodded and turned to Ita, going back to Big Brother mode. "Veneziano, go to sleep! You're tired." He reached down to grab Ita's arm and began to lead him to the beds. "Come here."

"B-but…" Ita hesitated, looking between Roma and Germany, conflicted.

"It's all right. If there's no other way, we'll ask you. Until then, be at ease." Germany assured the younger Italian. He nodded slowly.

"Okay…" He let Romano lead him to the beds. We all watched as they disappeared from earshot.

"He's so… worn out." France sighed. As if by some cue, we returned to the meeting. We began to discuss some metal piece that Ita had taken from Germany before he locked the nations up in the cell. Germany pulled it out of his pocket, having acquired it again when Ita was beaten by the monster. We all examined it. It was very weirdly-shaped.

"Maybe it's some sort of key?" I suggested. The nations' eyebrows rose.

"Key? But keys aren't usually shaped like this." France said, turning the piece over and over in his hands.

"Yeah, that's the point!" I reached out and grabbed the key from France, examining it myself. "In other words, the keyhole is also hidden."

"But there was no keyhole where this metal pieces could fit." Prussia snatched it from me and gave it back to Germany, who stashed it in his pocket.

"We must have missed it. Weren't there any places that made you feel uneasy?' China looked around at everyone. I thought for a moment back to all the areas I have seen. The Japanese-style room looked suspicious and the basement still gave me chills, but other than that, nothing made me feel particularly uneasy. I shrugged. France and Prussia also shrugged. England was the first to speak.

"Yes… and no…" He began. "I mean, there were so many places that made me uneasy that I've forgotten about some of them."

"In that case, we'll have to search the mansion once again." America said decidedly.

"Understood. Let's split up into two groups; one to stand by, and the other to search around." Japan stated. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I'm fine with either, but…" England frowned and looked back towards the bed area. "Italy must be hungry, so… maybe I should cook something for him?" Everyone looked at the Brit in horror. Oh crap, he's going to try to cook?

"England!" Japan rushed over to England and grabbed him by the arm. "Let's search together! By all means!"

"What? But the food—" England frowned in uncertainty.

"I'll stay!" China volunteered hurriedly, then pointed to France. "France, you can stay, too!"

"Oh! Of course!" France accepted and forced a smile. "So, the kitchen is full now! You can search around with the others!" He urged the Englishman. England looked very confused, but nodded anyway.

"I'll stay, too. I'm not feeling very well…" Prussia rubbed his head.

"There's aspirin in the first aid kit. It should still be in the kitchen." I suggested. Prussia nodded and headed toward the kitchen.

"Does anyone else have a preference?" America asked. No one spoke up. "Then Russia, Canada, Japan, and England will do the search with me. The others will stand by."

"All right." Canada agreed. "Let's do a thorough investigation." No one else complained, so the search team got their stuff ready and headed down the stairs, securely shutting the door to the safe room. I sighed and sat down in my seat from earlier, feeling a tad more relaxed. I glanced around. Prussia was headed to the bathroom. France and China were already getting to work on the food. In the far corner of the bed area, I could see Roma leaning against the foot of one of the beds. I slowly stood and walked over. As I came closer, I saw Ita was curled up under the covers of the bed. Romano was looking at him, his back to me, looking lost in thought. I snuck up behind him and gently poked his side.

"How is he?" I asked. He let out a soft snort as he turned a little to face me better, not taking his eyes off his brother.

"Pretty damn confused and tired. He's starting to remember more, though. Should be a matter of time before he's back to normal… I hope…" His voice trailed off and he looked down. I looked at Ita. Despite his comfortable position and peaceful sleeping face, he still looked beaten. I remembered what Russia said earlier. He must've told himself to keep trying to protect everyone, forcing himself to keep going and push himself to the limit. It amazed me just how much pain is held in one person. I looked back at Roma, the only person who shares in Ita's pain directly.

I reached over and patted him on the back, wanting badly to hug him but noticing how stiff he got when I touched him. It's best to keep a distance just in case. "Don't worry, Roma. Ita will be okay. You both have proven how strong you are when push comes to shove. I know it's scary to see him this way. It scares me too, but he'll heal. His injuries will heal and his memories will come back." I rubbed his back, trying to be soothing. He squeezed his eyes shut and he slowly relaxed. Without warning, he suddenly leaned forwards, his shoulder pressed to mine, and his head slumped into the crook of my neck. His arms lay limp at his sides. I felt something wet against my skin.

"D-d-dammit, h-he's such an i-idiot!" Roma softly croaked out. "H-he almost g-got himself k-killed. N-now this happened a-and h-he can't r-remember anything a-and… and… I-I want to t-tell everyo-one what is g-g-going on, but I don't even… I c-can't…" I wrapped my arms around him and held him close as he cried, murmuring for him to calm down and that everything will be fine. He didn't say anything more, just cried. I could tell he was trying to stifle himself so he wouldn't wake his brother up or alarm anyone nearby.

"Shh, it's okay, Roma. You don't have to tell them anything. They said Ita should tell them when he is ready and he will. You don't owe them any explanations and I won't let them demand any from you." I murmured over and over, wondering if he was listening. He must've begun listening at some point, because after a few more sniffles, he calmed down.

"Thanks." He mumbled under his breath, almost soft enough for me to miss. I smiled and gave him a soft squeeze.

"Anytime, any_thing_, querido_._" I smiled. He grumbled.

"Bastard. Ugh, I feel so stupid." He reached up to rub at an eye.

"Oh, I haven't interrupted, have I~? Ohonhonhon~." I glanced over my shoulder to see France standing a few feet away, smirking innocently. To my dismay, Roma used the hand he used to rub his eye to push me away, wiping away the rest of his tears before glaring at France.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. There was nothing to interrupt, fuckface. Why are you here?" He demanded.

"Ah, oui, I was about to ask my Spanish friend here if he wanted to help me and China cook!" My friend slung an arm over my shoulders. "But if you want to join us, we can make room for a little Italian masterpiece~" He purred, winking. Romano flipped him off and stepped over to sit at Ita's feet.

"I have to stay here and watch my brother, dammit. You two can go throw yourselves down the stairs for all I care." He grumbled. France shrugged.

"Alright, if you say so. Come, mon ami!" He walked back towards the kitchen. I nodded and, before I could think twice, gave Roma a peck on the head and a rushed 'be back soon'. I just about ran to catch up with France, just in case Roma was quick about swinging his fist in my direction.

* * *

**Translations-**

**Fratello: Brother**

**Mein Gott: My God**

**Lo siento: I'm sorry**

**Querido: dear/darling**

**Mon ami: my friend**

* * *

**I fail at fluff... Rate and Review anyway?**


	7. Plans After Surviving

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**Quick note: This is all Romano's POV and the italics in the beginning is his thoughts during a ****dream**.

* * *

_A green field dancing in the wind._

_Beautiful flowers scattered around._

_I saw it all rush by me as I ran,_

_Ran as fast as I could_

_Calling for him at the top of my lungs_

_Why didn't I see him anywhere?_

_Does that mean he is gone?_

_It can't be true._

_I can't allow that!_

_I won't!_

_I WON'T!_

My eyes snapped open suddenly. The field and flowers were gone and replaced with the sleeping figure of my brother. It took me a moment to realize where I was and what has happened, as well as to realize that I had fallen asleep against my arm and it fell asleep. I grimaced and shook it, trying to get some feeling back. I haven't slept in a long fucking time. I shouldn't be surprised that keeping watch like this bored me to sleep.

I rubbed my eyes, which were irritated and a little crusted from crying earlier. Thinking of that reminded me of the resident tomato bastard that is probably still in the kitchen. I scowled and patted the top of my head. Dammit, how is it possible that your whole head can feel cold except for one spot? Or is it just that one spot feels hotter than the rest of my head? Either way, it was annoying as hell. Stupid bastard, kissing my head like that without warning. If he hadn't run off, his legs wouldn't even fucking work anymore.

I sighed. There were bigger things to worry about it than a Spaniard's sudden affection attack. Veneziano, for one. He was still asleep but it looked like he was ready to wake up any minute. I stood up and began to pace impatiently. I hated having to wait any longer. He had to wake up so I could help him with his memory, dammit. Speaking of memories, I couldn't help but frown at the dream I had, if it even was a dream. I can't be sure of who disappeared or who I was even looking for, but I had a bad feeling about who it could be. Was it something that already happened? If so, was it at this house or way further in the past?

I paused to look at my (now restless) little brother. Talking to him about his memories made me realize that a lot of the memories he had from before the house have faded away. He remembered people, but he also admitted that he didn't remember when the Axis alliance was established or when he and I united. It was scary to think about ever forgetting things like that, things that make us nations. I felt myself fighting to hold onto my memories as a younger nation and the wars and alliances I was a part of. We were humans here, with no more memory capacity than any person, and I don't know about anyone else, but I scared shitless of that possibility.

I had paced over to where Veneziano's head was when his eyes suddenly opened. He was groggy at first, but after he rubbed his eyes, he spotted me. To my relief, he smiled in recognition. "Hello _fratello!_"

"Hey. You doing okay?" I knelt beside him. He nodded brightly and sat up to stretch.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better. A little confused, though. Where are we?" He looked around with a dopy look on his face. I felt my heart drop into my stomach.

"Um, we're at the hideout." I said, slowly standing.

"Oh, right! The one Mr. Germany made." Veneziano grinned and started to get out of bed, but stopped and blinked several times. "Woah, dizzy."

"Dammit, don't get out of bed so fast." I forced him to sit back down and sat down beside him. "Do you remember all of the people who came here?" I asked him. He thought for a moment.

"Hmm, I think so. I might've forgotten a few." I sighed and began reciting names and faces, just like I did with him in the bath. He remembered them a whole lot faster this time. This raised my spirits a little. Maybe Spain was right and his memory is improving. I began questioning him on some of the events that happened in the house. Those took a lot longer to remember for him, even more so when he remembered and started crying. I held him until he stopped. "I-I'm sorry, _fratello. _I don't mean to get upset." He sniffled.

"Forget it. I'm just glad you're remembering and feeling anything." I admitted. He smiled and leaned into me, even though I had dropped my arms already. I sighed and put one arm around him to pat his back.

"What do you remember, Romano?" He suddenly asked.

"Huh? The hell does that mean?"

"What memories of this house did you get from me?" He looked at me curiously. I frowned and hesitated. "Please tell me?"

"I… I know what some of the rooms look like, I knew about the clocks, I know about the piano and some of the keys to the rooms…" I continued down the list, sharing every memory he has passed onto me. I left out the memories of his many deaths. Those were just too painful to remember. Some of them required further explanation for him to remember.

"Wow, so you pretty much know everything." He said when I finished. I shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure there is a lot more that I don't know. You just don't remember right now." He nodded and looked down at his hands.

"I'm going to have to tell them everything… aren't I?" Veneziano murmured sadly, shoulders slumped. It was scary just seeing him like this. Never thought I would say this, but I actually miss the goofy, cheerful dumbass he used to be.

"Yeah. They need an explanation." I told him softly. He nodded slowly.

"Yes, they do. You all do. I just… " He trailed off, but I understood what he was getting at.

"You're scared that we'll have to turn back time again and that they'll forget what you told them." I inquired. His head jerked up to look at me in surprise for a moment before smiling slightly bitterly. Yet another expression that didn't look right on him.

"That's right. I guess you speak from your own experiences, big brother."

"You could say that." I agreed quietly. We were silent for a little bit before he spoke again.

"It was hard, wasn't it? Having to tell Big Brother Spain about your troubles over and over, having to relive the memories I gave you each time you explain?" I nodded once, just barely. "I felt the same. I felt very hopeless, because no matter how many times I explained, they either didn't believe me or it was too late for it to matter."

"It was frustrating for me." I admitted softly, frowning down at my entwined hands. "For the same reasons, plus I always had to work fast so I could try to catch you and everyone else before they left. Once you went out that meeting hall door, there was nothing I could do."

"You didn't try to follow us before the clocks?" He wondered. I paused, biting my lip for a second.

"No, I didn't. I knew it was too dangerous to try." Veneziano nodded. We sat in silence for a little longer.

"Italy!" We both instinctively turned to see Germany standing a few feet away, rocking back on his heels and looking relieved and a little awkward. I scowled. I thought he went with Japan and his group, but I guess I was mistaken.

"Germany!" Veneziano jumped up and ran over to throw his arms around the macho potato.

"Is your memory all better?" He slowly patted his back as the pasta idiot almost squeezed him to death.

"Almost! It's improving and everything! Romano has been helping me out a lot!" He flashed me a smile over his shoulder. I rolled my eyes. The whole scene made me feel sick. A little lonely, too, for some odd fucking reason.

"That's good. I came to tell you and your brother that dinner is ready." Germany pointed toward the kitchen. Veneziano pulled away and pouted.

"Aww, and I didn't even get to help? Oh well, I'll go help them set up, then~ Come on, Germany, you can help too!" He grabbed the potato bastard by the arm and all but dragged him to the kitchen. I slowly followed them, sick to my stomach about the whole thing. As if Veneziano's memories about the German and his deaths and talks weren't enough to make me gag.

"Hola Roma!" I froze mid-step as a voice sounded from the tables. I looked over to see Spain sitting at the tables, waiving at me like he hadn't just seen me less than an hour ago and like I wasn't standing a few feet away. I looked at him, then back at the kitchen, where Veneziano was chatting with the cooks (France and China) and still holding onto Germany like a lifeline. Weighing my options, I walked over to where Spain was sitting. Nearby was Prussia, resting his head on his arms and looking both bored and sick. Before Spain could say a word, I smacked him in the head and sat down across from him.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"That was for rubbing your lips on my head!"

"Oh, that. I thought it would make you feel better." He pouted.

"How in the hell is that supposed to make me feel better?" I glared at him. He just shrugged, unaffected by my anger.

"So, how's Ita?" I narrowed my eyes and looked at the wooden table.

"The hell should I know? Go ask him yourself." I grumbled. I noticed France bringing plates of food to us.

"Okay, and you?" I looked up to see him smiling at me. I opened my mouth to answer him, but then the door opened. Russia came in with Japan on his back, America, Canada, and England following close behind. Russia lowered Japan to his feet and he immediately went to talk to Veneziano while Russia went to chat with Canada. America and England also disbanded to sit at the tables nearby and talk to others and amongst themselves. I looked away from them and back to Spain, who was still grinning at me for some odd reason. He didn't even seem to notice France winking at him and _just what are you winking at him for, wino bastard?_

"What do you mean? What about me?" I asked him. He chuckled lightly.

"How are you doing, Roma?" He reinstated his question. I furrowed my brow. He really cared about how I was feeling? Maybe he was just being polite, since he asked about Veneziano.

"Fine." I shrugged. He tilted his head.

"That's not much of an answer, Roma."

"Well, it's my answer."

"Could you explain further, Roma? Please?" He gave me a puppy-dog look. I stared at him evenly, trying to make it seem like his eyes weren't effecting me. They weren't, but even so, I gave in anyway.

"Veneziano is getting better now with my help and he is going to explain everything to everyone soon. It's a load off my shoulders." I put my elbow on the table and propped my head up on my hand, reaching for a bit of bread that France had set down on our table. Spain frowned at my answer.

"Well, that's good for Ita, but I thought I asked how YOU were doing." I blinked and scowled at him. He just stared back innocently.

"Ugh, fine. I'm still a little scared, alright?" I admitted, feeling my face burn.

"Of?"

"Of… of what happens next. Will the thing attack us again? Will we be able to fend it off? If we can't, would we survive long enough to turn back time?" I glared at the table. "I don't want to go back and do all of this over again, especially when we made it this far. I don't want to see any more memories of another loop from my brother. Plus, what if we end up outside of the mansion again? I just want us to be done with this." There was a long silence between us. I looked at the table as I waited for him to talk, ripping at the piece of bread in my hands. I barely paid attention to the others.

"Roma, you have to have more faith." I looked up at him from under my lashes. He was smiling at me again.

"Faith in what?" My eyebrow rose.

"Faith in our abilities. You have good reason to worry for everyone, but now, they've gotten stronger and smarter. Plus, they have something they didn't have before: two more strong and capable fighters." He reached across the table to brush my hair back, making my face more visible to him. I snorted softly at his words, turning even redder as well as I leaned away from his touch.

"You're too full of yourself, bastard."

"Whaat? Do my centuries of fighting civil wars and wars over you and other protectorates mean nothing?" He cried, insulted but playfully so. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't keep myself from letting out a chuckle. He heard it and also chuckled.

"Plus, I taught you to fight myself, not to mention your wartime and mafia years gave you some fighting experience. We'll both be fine if we stick together and stick with the others."

"I don't even have a weapon, moron."

"Germany was supposed to give you one. Once you get it, you'll be an unstoppable fighting machine!" He punched at the air. I rolled my eyes again (if this keeps up, they'll roll back into my head) and looked away from him. My eyes landed on Japan and Veneziano having a conversation nearby.

"…we should have a party at my house or something like that." I heard Japan say. Veneziano looked surprised but excited.

"At your house? That sounds like fun!"

"I also have to work till late, so everyone should arrive late at night." Japan continued. "I'm sure we'd all be tired, so I think we should sleep soon afterwards on that day. I have a kitchen garden. I could get up earlier than usual the following morning and go there to pick vegetables."

"Hey! That's a nice idea!" America announced in his usual loud voice and came up to join Japan and Veneziano. Looking at America and around at everyone, I could see that everyone had stopped their own conversations to listen. Even Spain was intrigued. "I'll try to get up early and help you, too!" America offered. Japan chuckled.

"Thank you. When we come back from the garden, we will make breakfast." He continued. China chimed in, walking out from the kitchen.

"That's my cue! America can wake those who are still sleeping!"

"Yes. And then… well…" Japan looked uncertain. "Maybe we could all go out somewhere?"

"Let's go to the—wacha call it—the amusement park or something!" Prussia suggested, walking over to join the conversation. At this point, it was obvious that everyone was eavesdropping.

"Well, I suppose I can refrain from hitting on everyone at least for that occasion." France chimed in. I eyed him critically. I highly doubt he would handle that.

"I'm sure a day or two won't be enough." Japan inquired. A few people, myself included, snorted softly. France frowned, insulted, but Japan pretended not to notice and continued. "Oh, yes, we could go shopping."

"Yes! I suppose I'll take a look at the suits!" England mused, strolling over to the group.

"I want some clothes to wear while I'm at Japan's place." Russia stalked over, looking amused at the conversation. "What was it called again? Yukata? Let's all buy one!" A few people nearby nodded in agreement.

"I can hardly wait." Japan smiled at the snow bastard. "And when we go back to my house, we'll all have a banquet."

"With lots of food from all over the world!" Canada said softly, walking closer to the group. "Let's see, what should I make…?" He mused. Veneziano finally spoke up.

"Um, well, I'll… make… pasta and pizza…" My eyebrow rose. Like hell he was making that without me.

"I'll contribute with beer and wurst." Germany announced. My nose wrinkled instinctively.

"And then we'll all sleep together in a huddle!" Spain cheered, jumping up in excitement at his idea. I restrained myself from making a snide remark and stood up as well.

"Then I'll lay out the futons in the other room. You can go to sleep whenever you like." Japan offered. Spain nodded happily.

"Sounds interesting." I said, walking over to the group. "Hmm… what should we bring as a gift?" I looked at my brother. "Maybe we should send it beforehand, don't you think, Veneziano?" He nodded happily.

"Yeah! I'll bring the best ingredients—lots of them!" He exclaimed.

"I'll bring the beer." Germany said again.

"It'll be fun. Really fun." Japan smiled at everyone. "That's why, Italy…" He turned back to my brother.

"Yeah?" Veneziano tilted his head.

"That's why we all have to escape." He gestured to the entire group. "With everyone who is here, without losing a single person." Veneziano looked at Japan, then at everyone around him.

"…Yeah." He nodded slowly. "Yeah." He looked down at a piece of paper he was holding, then back at everyone. His smile faltered a little and he looked down. I blinked, confused by the action.

"Italy? Why are you looking down?" Japan put a hand on my brother's shoulder, looking at him in concern. "Do you still feel unwell?"

"No, I'm fine." He looked back up, rubbing an eye with the back of his hand. "There's something I… want to tell you—" He began, but was interrupted by a phone ringing. Everyone jumped and I cringed. By unfortunate placement, I was the closest to Spain and his obnoxiously loud phone. I glared at him in annoyance as he looked for his phone.

"Sorry, sorry." He apologized to everyone and finally pulled out his phone. He looked at the caller ID and his eyes went wide.

"Aaaargh!" Everyone jumped (again) when he screamed. "Damn it!" He turned to me, looking panicked. "What are we going to do, Romano?"

"Wh—" I eyed him, confused as hell. "What the hell are you going on about?"

"I forgot to tell Austria and the others that we found Ita…" He admitted, looking sheepish. I stared at him and, for the second time since we've been here, smacked myself in the forehead with my palm. Well, this was just fantastic.

"Euh, quoi, is he coming, too?" France asked curiously. "Wait, 'the others'? You mean…" He trailed off.

"Almost everyone who came to the world meeting." I finished for him, not lifting my hand from my head.

"Romano threw a fit back there." Spain explained. "He was really desperate to save his brother, you know. I'd never seen Romano being that honest before!" Why the hell did he sound so impressed? I moved my hand to glare at him.

"Shut the fuck up, bastardo!" I snapped at him. "What's wrong with swallowing my pride to save my brother?" Spain blinked and raised his hands defensively.

"Yeah! You're right, Brother Dearest!" Prussia cheered. I ignored him.

"I'm sorry, Roma. I didn't mean it that way. Honest!" Spain pouted.

"Hmph." I huffed.

"Romano…" Veneziano smiled at me, looking touched. "Thank you." I sighed and looked away, blushing a bit.

"I just want you to come back… I don't want you to go through that again." I admitted quietly.

"Since we fixed the time quite a bit, our phones also work at least a little, right?" Russia spoke up, effectively ignoring the current conversation and moving on. Thank god.

"Good timing!" China grinned. "I'm sure we'll be able to hear their angry voices even from here."

"All right! We'll all watch Spain get an earful of it!" America cheered. Spain held his phone like it was a bomb.

"Oh, God. Romano, can't you answer it instead?" He looked at me pleadingly. I rolled my eyes. What a fucking baby.

"Just answer it already." I told him. He nodded slowly.

"Okay." He flipped it open and pressed 'call', as well as' speaker phone'. "H-hi. Long time no see." He began nervously. We all heard Austria's voice through the speaker.

"_Yes. Long time."_ His speech was stiff. He was clearly pissed, which made Spain even more nervous.

"H-how are you?"

"_I'm fine, thank you."_

"Well, um… I'm really sorry." He frowned, ashamed. "I forgot to call you, huh? I was with Romano and… er… um…" He stammered, trying to say more.

"_Yes, yes." _Austria interrupted him. _"There are a mountain of things I want to say to you. Or a lot more than a mountain, actually."_ Spain shrunk slightly. We all waited to the ultimatum. _"When Romano didn't contact us, I was worried sick, you fool!"_

"Huh?" Spain looked up at me. "Roma?" I looked away. Like it was my fault that I also forgot to call? I was a little too busy dealing with a brother who had temporary amnesia, dammit.

"… idiot." I grumbled. Spain frowned, looking beyond confused, and looked ready to ask, but Austria began speaking again.

"_Italy, you can hear me, can't you?"_ Veneziano made a sound of acknowledgement. _"Come down for a bit. Look outside from the window."_

"What?" Veneziano blinked. "Oh, o-okay." He began walking toward the door.

"Wait, don't go by yourself!" Canada fretted, making him pause. "Let's all go together." Veneziano nodded and everyone slowly joined him to the door, England insisting on being in front of him to keep him from being detected. Spain walked ahead, still holding the phone and listening to Austria's continued rant at him. I began to follow.

"Romano." I stopped and looked toward the voice to see Germany walking over with a gun in his hand. As he came closer, I could see it was a semi-automatic rifle. "Since we're going out, it's best that you take a weapon with you. I brought this gun just to be safe, but since I normally use my whip, I don't need it. I only ask that you take good care of it." He handed it over to me. I slowly took it. Attached to it was a strap for carrying the gun on my back. I slung it in place and nodded.

"I'll make sure nothing happens to it. Th-thanks." I reluctantly forced out the word. He nodded once and went to join the others as they headed downstairs. I was the last one to leave. Germany was almost out the door, but when I followed him, he tossed something to me. I caught it. It was a key, steel just like the door.

"Lock the door, please, Romano." He ordered. I felt uncomfortable taking orders from him, but I shut the steel door and locked it anyway before walking out of the room. Once everyone was together, we headed out into the second floor hallway.

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**You guys should know the words in Spanish and Italian that I used here :\ **

**Before I forget, to all the anons who have reviewed here so far and everyone who has favorited/alerted, thank you very much and I'm very happy that you guys enjoy reading this almost as much as I enjoy writing it. It's you guys that make this story worth writing. Pat yourselves on the backs and get yourselves some cookies~**

**Rate and Review~**


	8. My Brother's Version of the Story

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**Hey, have you guys heard that there is going to be a season 5 of Hetalia? XD They made the official announcement this morning, along with the announcement that the 4th and 5th manga is going to be released in America soon. I'm really excited. In celebration, I'm uploading a new chapter, because why the fuck not~**

**Also, I won't be updating next week. I'll be on vacation in Pittsburgh, Washington, and New York for the week.**

**This was... one of my more awkward chapters, I'm afraid. The chapters for the first arc in this story seem kind of weird to write considering a bunch of it is copy/paste from the game. Please let me know what you think.**

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Because we didn't want to arouse as much suspicion by moving to another floor, we went to the other side of the second floor. A few nations went ahead to look out the windows and finally waved us over to a window right next to the room where we found Veneziano. France and Germany stood in front of the window. Prussia and England stood beside them. Russia and Canada occupied the other window on the other side of the wall. Japan, China, and America stood by the stairs to the third floor. Veneziano, Spain, and I leaned against the wall opposite the window, Austria still grumbling about Spain's 'utter lack of competence'. Poor bastard looked really gloomy. Of course, the piano nerd didn't let me off easy, either.

"Fuck you! I was a little busy trying to protect my brother here!" I yelled at Spain's phone. Feeling sentimental for the moment, I added "Spain wasn't exactly laying back doing nothing, either, so lay off!" Spain smiled in gratitude.

"_Humph. Well, I suppose I am being harsh. You both found them and that's good, at least." _Austria admitted oh so ruefully. France laughed at the whole thing (Austria was still on speaker).

"Haha! This again…" He smiled at something outside.

"Huh? What?" Veneziano tilted his head curiously. "What are you looking at, France?" He tried to step over.

"_Italy." _He froze and looked at the phone. _"I've heard of what you've done to some extent. Not very laudable, was it?"_

"I-I'm sorry… But I—just—" Veneziano stammered, looking ashamed.

"_You're far from being a fool! You're an outright idiot!" _Austria scolded. _"Do you have any idea how worried Romano was?"_ Veneziano looked at me apologetically. I grimaced. I couldn't exactly be mad at him, but I can't pat him on the shoulder and forgive him, either.

"H-hey, you don't have to go that far—" The potato bastard began, but his brother waved at him to stop, smirking in amusement and peeking out the window.

"Nooo! Keep talking! Hey Italy!" He waved Veneziano over. "Take a look out the window!" He nodded and walked over next to Prussia, looking almost as gloomy as Spain did when he was being outed by Austria. I didn't like it. It didn't look natural on either of them.

"Oh!" He gasped in surprise. "Everyone…" I could see a few nations exchange confused glances. England even moved closer to the window to take a peek.

"Italy!" I heard Austria's voice both through the phone and faintly out the window.

"Y-yes?" Veneziano called back.

"I don't approve of your idea of trying to solve everything on your own." Austria stated. "However… you really did your best." He admitted. Veneziano blushed a little, looking startled at the compliment. "The whole world has come to help you, but unfortunately, we couldn't find a way to get in. We'll have to support you from the outside, however frustrating this may be." He grumbled. I still remembered how pissed I was about the front door. I just hope they didn't get wind of the cave entrance. Hell, I hope they listen to what I told them about staying outside in the first place.

"Woah!" England exclaimed. "Those over there are the Nordics." Oh, good, those 5 got the message. I heard Spain sigh in relief. "and… over there are…" He trailed off for some reason.

"Ukraine… and even Belarus!" Russia said in wonder, looking out the window on the other side of the wall with China and Canada.

"Everyone…" My brother said in a hushed tone. He glanced back at me, as if asking if I did this. I couldn't help but smirk a tiny bit, but I couldn't help but feel guilty as I glanced over at Spain. If it wasn't for him, none of them would be here. Hell, I wouldn't be here, either.

"Amazing. We really have to get out all together." England mused.

"I…" Veneziano began.

"Yes?" Japan encouraged. He turned to smile at Japan.

"I'm all unalone." Japan blinked and smiled back.

"Indeed!" Austria piped up from Spain's phone (the fucker was still there?). "You should broaden your horizons! Also, you should come home soon. The cakes are getting cold!" Veneziano giggled and a few other nations chuckled along. "First, you have to come out safe and sound. We're also doing everything we can here. It's rather uncanny, everyone agreeing so much with one another."

"It's a unity warning." China said, looking impressed. America let out a loud laugh, nearly scared the shit out of me.

"It's true! We can never get anything done together when we have a meeting, and yet we've started working together."

"Well, of course!" Spain grinned. It was the first time he said anything since before we left the safe house. "Even though we fight and don't get along… we're all fellow nations." He smiled at me softly. It made me look away and my face heat up for some reason.

"You're right." Canada agreed. He was also pretty damn quiet this entire time (though, it doesn't surprise me). I almost forgot he was there.

"Yeah." Veneziano murmured, looking thoughtful. After a long moment, he turned around. "Guys, sorry for making you wait."

"Veneziano…" I frowned in worry. He was going to talk already? I could tell he still didn't have his memories back. He looked at me with a reassuring smile.

"I'll tell you everything. Everything I remember." He announced to the nations. Everyone snapped to attention.

"Italy…" Germany put a hand on his shoulder, looking concerned as well. Veneziano put a hand over his and patted it, probably trying to be soothing.

"I'll tell you everything from the very beginning, so this could take quite a while." He looked at everyone in turn. "Still, I want you to listen."

"It's about time!" China nodded seriously. "Go ahead and tell us already, and don't hold anything back!" Everyone nodded and agreed, tell him to tell them everything and that they'll listen. I was just as glad they were getting answers as they were, but they didn't have to be so demanding, dammit.

"Thank you." He smiled at all of them.

"Well then, I'll go back for now. If anything comes up, call me." Austria piped up.

"Okay. Be careful." Prussia said seriously before Spain ended the call and put his phone away. Everyone had their eyes on Veneziano. He straightened up and pulled a serious face. He was ready to talk.

**X-X-X**

"Well now… er, well… Where should I start?" Veneziano looked at everyone curiously. "What do you want to hear?"

"Well, um… this isn't the first time we… came here, is it?" Japan asked carefully.

"Ah, I was also wondering about that. America said we've gone through this several times…" Russia added. Veneziano hesitated for a moment, rocking back on his heels.

"Yeah. We've gone through this several times." He agreed truthfully. "Ever since we came here from the world meeting."

"I knew it…" America murmured, then nodded once. "So, what happened the very first time?" Veneziano grinned. He was ready for this question.

"How this started. Okay. Before the world meeting, I sneaked away from Germany's training and arrived at an unknown city somewhere." He snuck a glance at the potato bastard, as if he's waiting to get scolded. Germany just sighed quietly and nodded. No doubt he was used to this. My brother got back to the story. "When I was there, I happened to hear rumors about this place. I thought it sounded interesting, and I told America about it." He gestured to America (I don't know why. Visual aid?).

"Yeah, no difference so far." The hamburger bastard nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." Veneziano's eyes swept the room for a moment before he blinked in realization. "Oh, but… the very first time, I came here with nine of you."

"Which is everyone except me and Spain." I elaborated, crossing my arms and leaning back against the wall. "This really is the first time we both are here." I saw Spain nod in agreement.

"We were just going to have fun. We were going to go home soon." Veneziano smiled sadly. Germany put his hand on his shoulder again. "We opened the door and came in, but… as you know, there was that monster inside." I saw a few nations stiffen. The image came to my own mind and I shuddered. I saw Spain fidget beside me and raise a hand toward me, but then drop it.

"We all ran in different directions and I got lost from everyone, and I was so scared and had no idea what had happened." Veneziano continued. "I wanted to find someone as quickly as possible. After walking around a lot, I found Japan. I was really happy, but…" He looked down. "He had just been beaten by the enemy." I heard China make a strangled sound and America glared at the floorboards. Japan just nodded curtly. "Until then, I'd completely forgotten that Japan had come along. There was a gap, as if something had been erased."

"While I was thinking that there was something wrong with my memory… China, Russia, France… America, Canada, and England were killed one by one." Some of the nations make small sounds of distress. Only Veneziano, Japan, and I kept quiet. "By the time I'd finally be able to escape, Prussia and Germany were also killed, and I was the only one still alive."

"You were… alone…" France breathed out sadly.

"I was supposed to get out, but I felt too hopeless. I just wandered around without knowing what to do, and before I knew it, I was in the library. That's when I found this book." He held up his journal, one I've seen him cradle in his arms in almost every memory I have.

"That's the Bible you've been carrying all along, isn't it?" China asked. I eyed it. Huh, it did look like a Bible from a distance.

"Yeah, it kind of looks like a Bible, but it's actually a journal." Veneziano explained. "When I opened it, it had the name of its previous owner written on it."

"It reads 'Ryuuzu no Ko', right?" Japan asked. Everyone stared at him in shock, but Veneziano didn't seem to be too surprised. He nodded and continued.

"Everyone had died right before my eyes, and I was all alone." His voice began to crack a little. "By then, I wasn't really thinking straight any more. That's where my memories get a little fuzzy." He held the journal up. "I was going to throw this book away, too. But… that monster found me, and I unconsciously ran away with the book still in my hands, and at last… I got out." He looked down at the floor. "I was alone…" He let out a sniffle and rubbed at his cheeks. Germany patted his shoulder and England gave him a handkerchief (I have no clue where the hell he got it, don't ask me) to dry his eyes. I felt rooted in place and really fucking useless. I wanted to go over and hug him, but I just couldn't move. I felt so tense that I didn't realize my nails were digging into my arm until Spain had reached over and pried it away. I uncrossed my arms and let them hang. He held onto my hand for some reason, with a very weird solemn expression on his face, but let it go before I could ask what he was doing.

"It was raining outside when I got out there." Veneziano finally continued. "I was barely thinking straight. I remember yelling why I was the last to get out, of all people." He shook his head. "It baffles me even now. It must've heard me or followed me, because I heard the front door open and close behind me and there it was again. I ran to the gate with the monster chasing me.

"Finally, I… I just couldn't take it anymore. I was really upset and angry. I yelled for it to stop and faced it. I remember trying to provoke it, make it angry, telling it that it lost only because I was fast enough to outrun it." He smiled a little bitterly again. "I remembered what the journal said and the messed-up time and I asked it if it could turn back time in this place, since it is its territory. It didn't answer me… I don't think it can even talk much… but I already knew that it could. I told it to turn back time and try to come after me first, if it was fast enough to catch me. I kept shouting, 'go back!'.

"The next thing I knew, I was in the world meeting hall. I had the journal in my hand… and I knew I'd gone back in time." He looked thoughtfully down at the journal. "And then I became the owner of this journal. The proof that I had turned into Ryuuzu is that it was written on the previous journal that he was the only one who could go back in time."

"So, you made a pact with it. It made time go back so that it could eat you…" Germany stated. Veneziano nodded slowly.

"The second time, I didn't want to come back here and I tried to stop America. But it was too late; you were already headed here… In the end, no matter how many times I go back in time, I can't go back to before I told America about this house." I huffed through my nose. I still vaguely remember coming back to the same exact place at the same exact time every time loop my brother initiated. It was really frustrating, because it meant I had to be faster each time. I may be Italian, but there's a limit to how fast I can run, plus there's the whole issue with getting Spain to come along before it was too late.

"The ten of us always come here. Even if the groups change. Always." Veneziano continued.

"So that's what the memories of coming here with different people are all about. We kept coming here in various patterns." China noted. My eyebrow rose. They were getting memories too?

"That's right." Veneziano nodded to China. "But in the second time loop, I couldn't save England, China, or America and I survived again."

"What?" Japan suddenly exclaimed.

"So, once again…" The idiot didn't seem to notice Japan's outburst and tried to continue.

"Stop, stop! Hold on." America yelled. Veneziano jumped and looked at him in confusion. "In the second time loop, er… I did survive, didn't I?" He looked at Japan. Veneziano stared at them both.

"What?"

"Yes, it is just as America said." Japan stepped forward to look at Veneziano seriously. "It is difficult for me to say it, but… Italy, you were the only one who… in the room behind you…" He left the sentence hanging. Veneziano looked at him and America in disbelief.

"I'm the only one who died? What?" He shook his head. "That's impossible…"

"Maybe you're just confused due to going through that too many times?" England wondered.

"The second time wasn't the same as the first time, but I still remember it perfectly." My brother said, looking a bit insulted. "Besides, if I died, who made time go back?"

"Ah, yes, Italy is the only one who can go back in time." Russia stated. "That wouldn't fit… or would it?" He looked around at everyone else as they began discussing the matter. My brow furrowed. I didn't make it up. I knew I felt my brother die. There's nothing else that can explain what I went through. I saw through his memories that he was lying in a pool of his blood more than once. Sometimes, there was so much blood, I swore my—…his body was drained of it. But they bring up a good point. If he died, how did time reverse?

"Ita, maybe you haven't got all of your memories back? And that's why you remember things differently? " Spain was saying.

"Yeah, we can't expect you to remember everything all of a sudden." Canada smiled gently. "But we got the gist of it!"

"To sum it up, we died the first time around, and Italy went back in time, right?" France checked. "And Italy is the only one who can keep going back until ALL of us can get out."

"Japan?" Veneziano frowned at the Asian nation, who looked really troubled and disturbed. "You're frowning."

"Italy, how do you go back in time?" He asked, ignoring Veneziano's worried observation. He blinked at the sudden question.

"Er, well, there's a clock somewhere in this house. A really huge one. All I have to do is rewind it."

"Is that big clock in a different place each time?" China guessed.

"Yeah, that's right. The first time around, it moved so that I could escape, but whenever someone fell, I would go after it and it'd be in a different place." Veneziano sighed and shrugged. "Sadly, it's the one sure way to escape."

"You mean… for _everyone_...right? Surely, you're including yourself in that." Japan eyed him. Veneziano looked away from his gaze.

"Oh… er… well…" He fell silent. Japan half smiled after a small pause.

"Italy, do you remember the question I asked you earlier?" Veneziano tilted his head at him.

"Question…?"

"I asked you if you were… hurt somewhere."

"Oh. Yeah, I remember."

"I'll rephrase my question, Italy." Japan held out his hand for Veneziano's. "Is there somewhere you want to be?"

"Japan…" He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Please answer… Italy." Japan smiled kindly at him. Veneziano smiled back softly.

"I—… All this time, I wanted to be with you guys… all of me hurt, but I couldn't stop trying, and yet I couldn't find a way to make it stop, either…" He slid his hand into Japan's. "But maybe I can tell you now? Actually, I wanted to be with you, too. I wanted to escape with all of you."

"Yes. So do I." Japan agreed. Veneziano's breathing became shaky as tears ran down his cheeks again, this time with his smile intact.

"Veh… Japan…" He sniffled and lifted his free hand to cover his mouth and nose as he sobbed.

"Ack! Japan, you made little Italy cry!" Prussia fretted, walking over to hug Veneziano. Germany looked at him in exasperation, but he also gave my brother a hug. I ignored the potato's displaying affection and thought more about my brother's story. It was good to finally make sense of the situation, not only for myself but for the other confused bastards in this joint. There sure are a lot of things that don't fit, though. If my brother dies, who turns back time?

I tried to think, but the majority of the memories I have are too scattered to make sense of, and they're all through the mind of my brother. If he doesn't know how, there's no way I could figure it out. I scowled at the ground and gripped at my arms again. Goddammit, I can't figure it out with the memories I've got.

"Romano, don't think too much about it." I heard Spain murmured. I looked up to see him right next to me, smiling gently. I frowned at him in confusion. "Just think that the red stains on your clothes were only tomato juice." He told me soothingly. "It couldn't have been anything else." He grabbed a hand on my arm and pried it off again. I narrowed my eyes at him and shook his hand off.

"Fine. I'll ask them later. For now, I guess it's enough that we figured out this much." I shrugged one shoulder indifferently. I looked at everyone as they talked amongst themselves and tried to calm Veneziano, who was still bawling his pasta-filled head out. "Besides, they're a little less troubled now." Spain smiled and ruffled my head (dammit, why does he keep doing that?).

"Good boy." He praised. I scowled, but looked away from him. Dammit, how does he manage to make me feel like a kid and f-flattered at the same time?

"Sh-shut up! Stop treating me like a kid!" He didn't answer, just kept giving me that sunny smile.

"Well, everyone, it looks like our discussion will have to end here." Japan suddenly stated, looking down the hallway behind him. "We have a visitor." We all looked over to see the Thing, standing there silently. It wasn't as big as the one I saw attack Veneziano. Its head took up most of its body, but it still wielded those spine-chilling claws. This was my first time seeing it from the front. Its eyes were black and cold, uncaring. When we all moved to look at it, it bared its teeth at us. Pointed fangs the size of kitchen knives were visible.

I almost jumped out of my skin when a scream shattered the quiet _right next to my goddamn ear_. "WHAT'S THAT THING? WHAT THE HELL?" Spain freaked out, almost slamming into me trying to back away from it.

"Hey!" I shoved him away and he turned to look at me. "Stop screaming in my ear!" He opened his mouth (to apologize, for his sake) when the door behind me opened and closed. He screamed again.

"AAAAAARGH! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!" I turned my head slowly to see another thing, identical to the one in the hall, right in front of me. I was only faintly aware that Spain was pulling my shirt back to get me away from it. I was too frozen in fear.

"See, now that's a natural reaction." France said in amusement, already getting his fencing sword from its sheath. "I suppose we've been through this so many times that we've got unconsciously used to it."

"That's how it is when you see it for the first time!" Prussia assured Spain. "Stop worrying about it and fight!"

"Everyone, take your weapons." Japan said, pulling his own sword from its sheath. "We shall definitely do away with them." Everyone nodded and silently drew their weapons. I grabbed my own gun from its strap. The monster in front of me glared at me and bared its teeth even more. I glared back and loaded the semi-automatic. This is one of the things I came here to do. Time to take care of this ugly grey bastard the Southern Italian way.

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	9. To Be Human

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**Oh holy crap, you guys better have heard about Himaruya updating ^^* If you haven't, go on kitayume(sp?) website and check it out (or livejournal, where there is a translated version of his update). He also put up a picture of Spain and Romano and oh gosh so many feels. So fuck it, I'm updating now. I'm not waiting 2 weeks to celebrate. We'll just say that this makes up for the missing week.**

**I personally like this chapter. Awkward to write, but I think it's somewhat cute. Leave me your opinions~**

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"You guys take that one, we'll take this one!"

"Watch out!"

"Ayiahh, that was a close one!"

Everyone's voices were scattered as we split up to fight the creatures that just showed up. Japan, America, England, Germany, China, and Ita all went to face the creature in the hall. Prussia, France, Russia, Canada, Roma, and I readied ourselves against the one in the doorway. I drew my halberd and stood my ground against the huge monster.

It was really something out of this world. It had a small body and a huge head, it had claws about the side of my blade and teeth as sharp as knives. What scared me the most were the eyes. They were cold, unfeeling, evil. I felt like I was sinking into an abyss to hell if I stared too long. I couldn't afford to sink, though. I had to protect my friends.

No sooner had we split up did the monster decide to attack. It swiped at Russia first. He deflected with his pipe-sword-thing. Prussia took the opportunity to swing his sword at its side. It turned on him and swiped at him. Prussia jumped back and I ran forward to swing my axe. It left a long scratch on its cheek(?) but it only seemed to get angry. It hit me with the back of its claw and knocked the wind out of me. Gunshots sounded and the monster's focus was diverted. I didn't need to look to know it was Roma. I couldn't look, anyway. My vision got a little blurry as I tried to catch my breath.

I felt a hand on my back. Slowly, my strength increased and I regained my breath. I looked up to see France with a glowing hand and Prussia offering his hand to me. I stood up with their help. "Gracias."

"The Bad Touch Trio, back in action once again." Prussia proudly announced. France chuckled.

"I forgot what a good team we made. It's been too long." We all grinned at each other, remembering the good old days.

"Hello? Little help!" I heard Roma call. I looked up to see him firing madly at the beast, walking backwards as it stalked closer. Canada was beside him, his bear taking swipes at the monster. The bullets didn't seem to leave any holes in the strange creature, but it left marks and seemed to weaken it. I looked around, wondering why Russia wasn't helping. I saw him struggling to get up, looking like the monster had thrown him into the wall. France was already rushing over to heal him. Prussia and I ran to help Roma and Canada. I fell back while Prussia ran forward, swung his sword, and sliced the monster's back. It buckled and turned to face whoever dared to cut him. Prussia grinned and ducked as I jumped off his back to swing my axe down into the monster's forehead. It froze all its movements and glared at me before it faded away. I fell to the ground onto my butt, my halberd falling with me with the blade sticking into the floorboards.

"Ouch." I grunted in surprise, but I could honestly care less about my own pain. I looked around at the others. Russia was healed and was running over to help with the other monster with France. Canada seemed to have joined them. Prussia was cracking his back. Roma was in a slight daze, but snapped out of it to walk over to us.

"Spain, you alright?" He asked me. I smiled. It wasn't every day that Roma worried about me so much. It made me very happy.

"Si, I'm okay!" I chirped. He frowned at me and held his gun with one hand to offer me his other hand. I took it and he pulled me up to my feet. No sooner had I stood up did Prussia slap me on the back.

"Kesesese! That was awesome!" he laughed. "My back is sore now because of your heavy feet, but it was so worth it!" He leaned over and poked the scowling Roma in the shoulder. "Be grateful, little brat. We just saved your life! Show me some gratitude!"

"Shut the hell up! The only gratitude you'll be getting from me is a punch in your stupid face, douchebag!" Roma snarled back, then turned around and walked away from us, back towards the safe room. I sighed a little.

"Eh, forget about him. He'll thank us eventually." Prussia patted me on the back again and left to join his brother. They had just defeated the other monster. France and Ita were going around and healing the unconscious, which just seemed to be China, England, and Canada for right now. I pulled my halberd out from the floor and jogged over to join them. Prussia was embracing his brother, but he looked troubled for some reason. Japan turned away from a conversation with America to address everyone.

"Well, now, let's go back. We're all tired. Let's call it a day…"

"That's right! Let's go to sleep!" China exclaimed. A few nations made sounds of agreement as we all headed back. When we all got back to the room, Roma was there waiting, leaning against the wall next to the steel door.

"Vee, _fratello_, you're okay!" Ita cheered, jumping Roma and hugging him. Romano hugged him for a moment before trying to shove him off.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just peachy. Now get the fuck off me."

"Aww, now I want a hug." Prussia pouted. "Weeest…"

"Bruder, we are just a few feet away from safety. You can have a hug later." Germany huffed, serious as always, rubbing his forehead. He gets a lot of headaches, I've noticed. I should tell him about the aspirin in the first aid kit. Ita broke away from Romano to jump excitedly.

"Ooo, ooo! I want a hug from Germany too! Please please please plleeaaasssee?" The little Italian begged the German as they followed the other nations upstairs. I was to engrossed in the whole scene (and laughing every so often) to follow until Romano snapped his fingers in my face.

"Oy! You coming or what? I gotta lock the door." He held up a key that looked a little like the safe house door. He must've gotten it from Germany.

"Oh! Okay, Roma!" I grinned at him and gave him a hug. I must've surprised him, because he just stopped moving all together.

"Wh-wh-what the hell are you doing?" He yelped out. I smiled and just held him.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm hugging you, Roma~"

"Well, yeah, I can see that. Why?" He snapped. I thought for a moment before I shrugged.

"I just felt like hugging you." Hm, strange. I could feel his heartbeat going faster. Was he okay? Ita seemed fine, so it's probably not that. Suddenly, I felt him grip my upper arms. I thought, for a moment, that he was going to hug me back. I felt myself light up. I always loved getting hugs from my Roma. They were just scarce enough to look forward to anytime~. Unfortunately, instead of a hug, I felt him push.

"G-get the hell off me already. We have to go! They're waiting for us and who knows when that _thing_ will show up again!" He said, shoving me off but strangely weakly. Hm, maybe he DID get weakened in the fight. There couldn't be any other reason, right? I looked down at him. He was red again. I frowned, worried. Was he really okay? Nevertheless, I let him go and walked upstairs to the safe room. I heard him follow and the stairs were dark for a moment when he shut the door and locked it behind us. I stopped to wait for him before we joined the others.

**X-X-X**

After a brief break to make drinks and treat our wounds, we gathered at one table for a meeting. I took a seat between Roma and Prussia, who were still fighting about earlier. Prussia still wanted a thank you and I knew from experience that Romano, the cute and stubborn Southern half of Italy, was not the type of person to thank anyone. It took a lot to get Roma to admit that he couldn't have done something without help from another person, which was the point of a 'thank you'. Heck, I've known him for centuries and I can count the number of 'thank you's on one hand. Then again, he has thanked me a lot since we came here. Maybe he'll end up giving in~.

It took a few moments (and Germany pounding on the table) to silence everyone and begin our meeting. We began with the story Ita has told us, and the holes that were left. Ita didn't seem to remember at all if he died or not, but Japan and America insisted on seeing it. I believed them, too. Roma felt Ita die in all certainty and I'm going to believe my henchman's word. Even if Roma was a good liar, he would never lie about terrible things like that.

Ita looked really uneasy. He twiddled his thumbs, looking sheepish. "I'm sorry. I guess I lost more memories than I thought."

"No, that was good enough." Japan patted Ita's hands. "The rest is our job."

"Still… don't you feel kind of weird to think that you could die?" England mused nervously.

"As if we were the same as humans, you mean?" France frowned and flipped his hair thoughtfully. "Maybe we exist as humans in this place…"

"You're right. My body doesn't carry the weight of my nation…" China interjected, patting his chest. "Even though I don't look any different…"

"I wonder if I'll forget again…" Ita murmured, sadly. He shook his head. "I don't want that… I don't want to forget our newly found bond."

"Italy…" Germany's face softened and he put a hand over Ita's. I frowned as well at Ita's words.

"Yeah. Isn't there anything we can do here?" I asked, looking around. A few of the nations made thoughtful faces, some just shrugged and looked hopeless. Beside me, Roma was chipping the wood with his nail, probably trying to think.

"Oh! I know!" America suddenly exclaimed, making most of us jump.

"Wh-what? What are you talking about?" Canada looked at his loud brother in confusion.

"Let's form an alliance!" He declared. "A testimony of our new bond, without any relation to the Allies or the Axis or even the neutral nations, but to all of us who are here!" A few of the nations exchanged interested glances.

"Ooo, sounds interesting." Prussia smiled. "I approve."

"I am of the same opinion as America." Japan predictably said. "Let's do it. Did we form an alliance before?"

"No, not as far as I know…" Romano answered, pursing his lips thoughtfully (ahhh so cute so cute). "I approve, too"

"I won't accept objections!" America said decidedly. "After all that trouble, we should write it down in a document!" He looked around and ran over to the next table to grab a long piece of paper. "Erm, we can keep it simple!". He straightened it out and got a pen.

"Hmm. Well, first of all…" Germany began. "Believe in one another. Help one another. Rely on one another. Also, escape all together. That's all!" America nodded along and wrote down everything that Germany said, Japan having to repeat a few silently to America to make sure he got it right.

"I like it; it's so easy to understand." I commented, smiling. "An alliance among nations like that is pretty interesting!"

"There!" America leaned away from the paper when he was done. "Now we just have to sign it."

"Oh, c-can you wait a moment, please?" Russia suddenly spoke up. We all looked at him. He looked nervous.

"What is it?" China asked, looking concerned.

"Sorry, I'm really going to put a wet blanket on it, but we're nations, and we're arbitrarily going to form an alliance with so many nations…" Russia shrugged helplessly. "It doesn't feel right…" I furrowed my brow, seeing the truth in Russia's statement. A few of the nations exchanged troubled looks.

"But our signatures will only be valid inside this house, right?" England reasoned. Russia made a face at that.

"Yeah, that's the problem, forming an alliance here. I mean, we don't know who might get their hands on it." He gestured around the room. "We'll leave it in this strange place where God-knows-who might see it…"

"I see… you have a point." Germany admitted sadly. "Even if we exist as humans right now, it doesn't change the fact that we are nations." I nodded sadly. Nothing can change the fact that we're nations anywhere. We can't even make a pact without affecting the people we represent.

"So, we really can't make an alliance…" Ita's face fell. Roma looked a little upset as well, but then, so did everyone else.

"I-I'm sorry." Russia apologized, looking down at his hands in shame. "I'd want to form an alliance, too, if I could! But we have to think of the nations we bear on our shoulders…"

"If… If possible," France murmured. "I also want to form an alliance, and stay like this…"

"To be human, even if only in this place…" Japan muttered thoughtfully.

"Japan?" Ita tilted his head curiously at the Asian man's expression.

"I have an idea. Let's form an alliance, not as nations, but as humans!" Japan suggested.

"As humans? What do you mean?" Prussia frowned, just as confused as the rest of us.

"Let's sign this paper as the humans we are now. In other words, we should come up with human names for ourselves and sign with them." Japan explained.

"I see! If anyone else sees it, they won't understand it, because it's not signed with nations names!" Canada concluded. France, Prussia, and I exchanged looks of excitement at the idea.

"A human name, not Romano…" Roma mused. "Hmm, sounds good." He turned to his brother. "What do you think, Veneziano?"

"Yeah, I approve! If we do that, we can all form an alliance!" Ita grinned excitedly. America tapped the pen against his chin.

"I'll be… let's see… Al… er… Alfred F. Jones, I guess!" He signed the paper and passed it to his brother. Canada thought for a moment before signing.

"Matthew Williams." He passed the paper over to China. China took the pen and scribbled his name.

"Wang Yao!" China passed the paper to Prussia, who grinned when it was finally his turn.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt! How's that? Pretty awesome, huh?" He nudged me with a laugh and signed the paper. The paper-passing continued around the table as the nations came up with their human names and signed the alliance document.

"Then I'll be Francis Bonnefoy."

"I think I'll be Ivan Braginski." Russia passed me the document. I tapped the pen on the table and thought through all the Spanish names that I know. Finally, I thought of the perfect one.

"I'll be Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." I announced, signing the paper. The last name had to go off the line, unfortunately. I frowned. "Oh, there isn't enough space…" I scrunched together the last few letters and passed the paper to England. He took the longest to think of his name.

"All right, I've got it! I'm Arthur Kirkland!" He signed his name. I tried my hardest not to snicker.

"Th-then I'll be… Ludwig." Germany signed his name, looking embarrassed. "This is kind of awkward."

"Can I be… Lovino Vargas?" Roma turned red as he signed his name. I smiled at him. Lovino sounded really cute~!

"Yup! Then I'll be…" Ita thought for a moment before scribbling his name onto the paper. "Feliciano! Feliciano Vargas!" He handed Japan the paper.

"Then I am… Honda Kiku." Japan signed the paper. America peeked over his shoulder at the document.

"All right, everyone signed! That makes this vow absolute! Right, Kiku?" He nudged Japan, who blinked and looked over at America.

"What? Oh—are you talking to me? Er… indeed!" He answered swiftly. "We must all abide by it, Arthur!" America frowned.

"No, my name is Alfred… Arthur is England…" Japan turned red at his mistake while the nations listening in snickered.

"O-oh! I'm sorry! My memory these days…" He chuckled nervously. Ita looked at Germany thoughtfully.

"Germany was Lutz? Louis?" Prussia cracked up and I couldn't help but join him. I even heard Roma chuckle a little. Germany turned as red as Japan.

"Lutz! That's hilarious! It makes him sound like a completely different guy!" Prussia managed to force out between giggles. "Right, Lutz?"

"Can you please stop smirking and taunting me?" Germany growled out. I stifled my laughter. I still heard Roma chuckling under his breath. I vaguely paid attention to the banter going on around me as I smiled at him and poked his side. He jumped and looked at me.

"What the hell was that for, bastard?" He hissed.

"You picked a very nice name." I praised. He blushed and looked at the table.

"Wh-whatever." He mumbled. Without look at me, he said, "Y-yours too."

"Aww, thank you, Lovino!" I beamed and hugged him, nearly pulling him from the chair.

"D-dammit, don't do that so suddenly!" Roma yelped. I let him go carefully so he could sit back in the chair.

"Heh, I'm sorry, Roma." I smiled sheepishly. "Or do you prefer Lovino?"

"I don't give a fuck." He grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest and looking away.

"Hmm… how about… Lovi!" I grinned at the nickname. He stared at me in horror.

"Like hell you're calling me that!" I pouted.

"Aww, but it's so cute."

"No it's not, it's stupid!"

"Ow!... Ugh…" My argument was interrupted by Prussia's groan of pain. I looked over to see him rubbing his stomach.

"Prussia? What's wrong?" Germany eyed his brother worriedly. A few nations were still talking and arguing, but I saw that France was looking at Prussia and Ita and Lovi had gone silent as well.

"Hm? Oh… nothing. I'll go take a bath. I guess I'm a little tired." Prussia smiled reassuringly and stood up to go to the bathroom. The 5 of us watched him curiously and worriedly as he disappeared into the bathroom.

"Speaking of tired, I think it's about time for bed, no?" France looked down at his watch. I didn't have one, but I could see the time on Lovi's. It was almost 10.

"Yes, we should go prepare the beds." Japan said, standing up.

"I'll clean up these dishes in the meantime." Germany insisted. He grabbed some of the cups and headed into the kitchen. Russia grabbed the ones he missed and followed. The rest of us went to the beds and began turning them down for the night.

"Oh… oh no…" Ita frowned as he looked at the beds.

"Hm? Italy? Are you okay?" Japan frowned at his friend. Ita shook his head.

"There's not enough beds for everyone. I just counted. There are only 9." I blinked and rubbed the back of my neck.

"I guess we complicated things a bit, huh Lovi?" I chuckled. Lovi pursed his lips.

"I-it's nothing we can't solve! And stop calling me that!" He glared at me.

"He's right—about the beds, I mean. That nickname is very cute!" Ita chirped. I beamed.

"I know, right? It fits him so well, too!"

"Yeah, it has a nice ring to it! Lovi, Lovi, Looovvviiii~"

"I'm going to kick both your asses right now if you don't **shut your fat TRAPS**!" Lovi yelled. I went silent and pouted. Ita rocked on his heels, pressing his lips together. Lovi looked at him warningly.

"…Lovi." Ita rushed out before running away right as Lovi jumped at him. The older Italian chased his younger brother in hot pursuit, Lovi shouting out empty threats and Ita crying out for Germany. Heh, it reminded me of that Christmas I spent at Ita's house. Eventually, Germany ran out of the kitchen and Ita ducked behind him. Lovi had to skid to a stop to avoid slamming into the buff nation. I used that as an opportunity to wrap my arms around Lovi until he calmed down. Meanwhile, the no doubt exasperated Japan explained the bed problem to Germany. While he was doing so, the other nations joined us.

"Well, the logical explanation would be for a few of us to share beds." England suggested. Germany nodded.

"Yes, exactly. Would anyone be opposed to sharing a bed?"

"My bed is always open~" France purred.

"I can share a bed!" Ita volunteered, then tugged on Germany's sleeve (he was still hiding behind him.) "Can I sleep in your bed, Germany?"

"No! Why me?" Germany stared at the Italian, looking strangely flustered.

"That's a good idea! Ita can share a bed with Germany and Lovi can share a bed with me!" I gave Lovi a squeeze. "That way, everyone else can have a bed to themselves!"

"You have a better chance of hell freezing over than me agreeing to share a bed with you! Now GET OFF ME!" Lovi furiously shook off my arms. I frowned as I dropped my arms.

"But you always used to crawl into my bed."

"Yeah, when I was a fucking KID. No way I'm going to do that NOW!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Lovi~"

"Just shut up and stop calling me that!"

"I honestly don't trust any of you anywhere near my bed." England inquired.

"Well, fuck you too." America scoffed.

"Aww, you figured out my plan~" France joked. England glared at him and began yelling at him.

"I really want a bed to myself, so I'll just go set up my own bed." China began to leave.

"Don't just commandeer a bed! We still have to discuss this!" Germany argued. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Japan rush to the bathroom door.

"W-well, I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with America, since we're related." Canada murmured. America's shoulders slumped.

"But I want my own bed…"

"The brothers thing is good, though!" Ita said. "Maybe Romano and I could share a bed?" Lovi looked at Ita in outrage.

"BULLSHIT! Why does it have to be you? You're fucking kidding me!" He exploded. I wrapped my arms around Lovi again to calm him. He tried shaking them off, but I can be pretty strong when I want to be~.

"Th-that's why I'm saying I should be with Germany…" Ita said meekly.

"Wait! You've got to be kidding me! I object!" Germany argued. Japan came back, with Prussia trailing after him, looking really confused.

"I'm telling you, mine is open~" France insisted. "I would give Italy a warm welcome—physically speaking." He winked. Neither Germany nor Lovi seemed to like that idea. I didn't feel so eager about it myself.

"Maybe we should pair up with our… family?" Canada suggested. "Oh, but if it's to be together all the time—" He shrugged.

"If it were a… sister, then I'd be only a little reluctant, but with a brother…" England mused. America wrinkled his nose.

"Eeew! That would be torture!" Both Canada and England looked genuinely insulted. "It's just too weird!"

"Well, I could do with just a blanket." I offered. "I could lay it over the table and sleep there. It'd make a perfect cot!" I smiled. I've slept on worse than a hard table, and if it helps the situation…

"It wouldn't be so bad if the smaller ones slept together, right?" Russia spoke for the first time. "For example, Japan and China…"

"Stop leaning over and peeking at me!" China yelled at Russia. "You're so damn lewd!"

"All right, all right!" Germany called for attention. "Tomorrow, I'll make more beds first thing in the morning! Can't you endure this at least for one night?" The arguing quieted down briefly.

"Oh! Then I want a double bed!" Ita hopped out from behind Germany and rushed over to me and Lovi. I let him go just in time for Ita to wrap his arms around Lovi's arm. "Romano, let's sleep together! I've been through a lot of loops, so it's been ages since I last saw you." Lovi looked like he was going to argue, but honestly, he looked too tired to argue anymore. He just sighed instead, but it was confirmation enough for Ita. He cheered and hugged Lovi's arm.

"Oh~ How unusual of you to give in, Romano." France chuckled. Lovi glared at him.

"That's why I'll sleep with Germany tonight!" Ita pulled away from his brother's arm. "Then my brother can have his bed all for himself!" He then looked at me and frowned. "Oh, but Spain—"

"Wait a minute!" Germany spluttered in outrage. "Why do I have to sleep with you?"

"Um… I'll sleep on the floor." Japan said. "If I lay down a blanket, it'll be just like a futon…" I wanted to offer my table-cot idea again, but Prussia interrupted.

"Can't we all just sleep on the floor?" He suggested. Everyone stopped fighting and considered that idea, eyeing the beds. From what I've heard, they're pretty comfy. Like I said before, though: desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Oh, yeah! Let's just go to sleep already!" America said decidedly. He reached over and grabbed England's arm. "England, I'll take care of the beds, so give me a hand!" He proceeded to drag Eyebrows toward the beds.

"Huh? Wait, stop pulling me!" England argued. America just laughed.

"Romano, can you sleep next to me?" Ita pled. Lovi sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He grumbled. Ita cheered and turned to Germany to convince him to sleep on his other side. I smiled at the sleepy southern Italian.

"Can I sleep on your other side, Roma?" I asked lightly, expecting a no. To my surprise, he grumbled a 'whatever'. I beamed. This was going to be a nice and peaceful night after all~.

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**In Spain's POV, I'll be using human names on and off. Romano will probably only use Spain's and Italy's human names in the future.**

**Rate and Review~**


	10. Dreams and Metal Keys

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**I'm still technically on vacation, so shh, I'm not actually here. This chapter is, though, and it's one of my personal favorites. In my opinion, this is where the Spamano truly starts. The POV flips in this chapter, so read carefully.**

**Fun fact: I was listening to Lights by Ellie when writing this. It seems like a good HetaOni song, but more in the point of view of Italy. I dunno, food for thought.**

* * *

It took longer than expected, but we were finally able to prepare for bed. America and England successfully piled the beds on top of each other and pushed them against the wall. The blankets and pillows were laid out to make 11 beds. Since we only came here with the clothes on our backs, we had to sleep in our underwear. Japan vowed to wake up early and wash all the clothes.

I couldn't help but coo at how cute Lovi looked in his boxer shorts and undershirt, but I kept quiet about it. Lovi already gave me the death glare when he came out of the bathroom and he hits really hard. I changed quickly and made my way to get a bed. I had wanted one next to Lovi, but at the last minute, Prussia (who now insisted we all call him Gilbert) and France dragged me over to grab a beer before going to sleep. By the time I broke away, Lovi was already settled between Ita and Japan. I sighed and grabbed a bed next to France instead.

"Haha, it's like a training camp." Japan chuckled.

"Beds are nice, but sleeping on the floor in a futon is fun, too!" America laughed. "It's a little cramped, though." I heard him shuffling around a little. I smiled, looking up at the ceiling.

"I can't wait for our party. Why, there are so many things I want to do that I think I'll forget some of them." I mused, half to myself. "I'll have to write them down."

"Hey, Veneziano, we'll really have to send food to Japan's house before—" Roma began. He sighed softly after a short pause. "He fell asleep."

"He must be tired. He's finally got some relief. Let him sleep." France murmured, signaling to keep quiet. Poor Ita. He's probably as exhausted as the rest of us.

"Was he awake even when I was keeping watch?" Gilbert whispered.

"Probably. It must have been necessary in order to survive." Germany breathed out. "Come to think of it, even when Japan and I woke up..."

"He was awake." Japan finished. "To think that he was aware of that monster because he had known from the very beginning..." I could hear the sadness in his voice, and a bit of amazement.

"He occasionally appeared to be reading the Bible—I mean, the journal. Do you think he's written about everything he's gone through so far?" Canada whispered. I had to strain to hear him, since he was a few beds away.

"Maybe. Maybe he'll let us read it now?" Russia wondered. I heard rustling. Someone moving their head against the floor, perhaps?

"We could ask him tomorrow." England answered, then raised his voice just a little so everyone heard. "All right, enough chatting for today! I'm going to sleep!"

"Yea—ZZZzzz" China started snoring.

"Oh, dear..." I heard Japan murmuring. I chuckled a little and looked around. France was already asleep and I could just barely see the nations on his other side settling down. Carefully as I could, I flipped on my stomach and peeked at the other row of beds. Most of them had fallen asleep, even Lovi, though he looked a little restless. I debated crawling over to soothe him, but France ruined my almost-plan by rolling over and pressing closer to my side. If I moved, I risked waking my friend. Aww.

I yawned and buried my face in my single pillow, murmuring a quiet _buenos noches_ to anyone who was still listening (even if it was just God) before falling asleep.

**X-X-X**

_It's dark. That's the first thing I notice. I can't even see my own hands. I felt so damn confused. It's like everything in my head was seeping out. I couldn't remember where I was, what I was doing here, who was with me, who I am. Is this how losing your memories was supposed to feel like? Or was this something else? As if the dark here isn't fucking scary enough._

_Suddenly, a small light. Very far in the distance. I heard lights were good in dreams, but this might not be a dream. I could be dead. Even so, I walked closer. As I did, my head didn't feel like things were pouring out. More like, it was if they never flooded out in the first place. I remembered little things, things from when I was younger, then when I was already independent. The light was almost close enough to touch when I remembered the most recent things, things about the monster and my brother. I reached out toward the light. I saw my hand in front of it. I placed my hand on it. It felt warm and seemed to envelope it. My whole body felt warm and relaxed. I closed my eyes. I could still see the light from behind my eyelids. I felt a squeeze on my hand and I heard a soft voice. It took me a moment to understand it._

"_Romano." _

_What's that?_

"Romano."

"Hnnng." _How annoying. What is the voice talking about?_

"Romano, it's time to wake up. We can't wait around forever." _We? Wait… wake up… how do I wake up, again? Romano… that's my name…_

"Lovi, please wake up." The voice murmured again. I felt my eyes shoot open when I heard the ridiculous nickname. I looked right into a green pair of eyes, staring down at me. The owner of the eyes grinned down at me and let out a sigh… of relief? "Oh, good, you're awake. Germany told me Ita was having memory problems last night again so I was worried that you might get some too. You were sleeping for a very long time, you know."

The bastard continued to babble. While he talked, I slowly sat up on my elbows and looked around. The safe room was lit up again. It looked like everyone had already woken up, judging by the lack of some blankets and pillows. There were a few still set up, mostly the ones next to me. An attempt not to wake me up?

As I sat up, I was more aware of the warmth that was still around my hand. I looked down at it. It was held by a bigger tan hand, which didn't seem to need any thought behind it. I glared up at the Spaniard. The fuck was he holding my hand for. "Okay, stop." I commanded, since he was still talking. He shut up right away. "Why is your hand touching mine, you weirdo? What were you doing to it?" I yanked my hand from his. I felt my face burning. Stupid face.

"Huh? Oh, you were reaching for something in your sleep. You were mumbling a little, too. But I didn't catch what you said." He added quickly when I looked at him in horror. I sighed. Good. Who knows what I've been saying. Well, the ni- annoying warmth of the bastard's hand and the lit room lights explain the light I had seen in my dream. Case solved, Detective Italy Romano, aka Lovino Vargas, has done it again. Now for a more pressing matter.

"Where's breakfast, bastard?" I demanded. Spain blinked and chuckled, then _grabbed my hand again_ (the sly bastard caught me off guard!) and stood up, helping me to my feet.

"It's on the table. Everyone is still eating, so we can go join them and you can get dressed afterwards." He offered. I made a face. I preferred not eating in front of other people while wearing boxers, but I was too hungry to care right now. I nodded and yanked my hand from his again.

"Fine, let's go." I turned and, after managing not to slip on a blanket, walked over to the eating area. I heard Spain chuckle behind me as he followed. True to his word, the other nations were sitting around and eating. A few, like Japan and England, were already dressed in clean clothes. Japan HAD promised to wash them. I wondered if he did all of them. There were a few undignified people at the tables who, like me, were still just wearing underwear. My brother, for example, who waved to me from his seat next to the (dressed) potato bastard.

My eyes burned when they saw France (who, in fact, sleeps naked no matter what situation he is in) was also in his 'night clothes'. America, too, was in boxers. They had his flag print on them. The hell? Self-centered much? "So, finally got the brat to wake up." Prussia spoke up, mouth half full with food. Disgusting. I narrowed my eyes at him and gave him a well-deserved kick in the shin. Ah, the sound of snarling and swearing potato bastards in the morning is music to my ears.

I checked out what was on the table for breakfast. It looked like pancakes, bacon, a plate of weird-looking scones that no one is touching, and some slightly-pitiful pasta. Looks like the usual cooks occupied the kitchen, plus the one cook that should be banned from every damn kitchen every built. I took the seat next to China and Spain sat down in the only other open chair right across from me, next to the wincing Prussian.

"Fuck! I'm so going to get you for that!" Prussia grumbled. I rolled my eyes as I piled food on my plate. I took 2 pancakes, a few spoonful's of pasta, and a strip of bacon.

"Good fucking luck. I don't care anyway." I fired back at him.

"Romano, your clothes are on the bathroom counter in the back of the bathroom. When you are done, you can shower and change." Japan said politely. I nodded, my mouth too full to answer.

"Romano, are you okay"" Veneziano peeked over from the other end of the table. "You were sleeping for quite a while." I poked at my pasta, staring at my food to avoid looking up.

"Good dream." I answered simply.

"Ohhhh. Alright! Vee, I had a nightmare, so I didn't sleep as well." He shrugged. I eyed him, worried. I remember Spain said he had troubles with his memories last night. Was it because of his own dream?

"What was your dream about, Lovi?" Spain asked suddenly. I scowled.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" I snapped. Spain looked unfazed and waited for my answer. "And my dream is none of your business!" He pouted.

"Aww, you're so mean, Lovi. I'm just curious." He whined. I rolled my eyes at him and continued eating. He's like a child sometimes. Even when I was his protectorate, I was more mature (sometimes). Damn, Spain, that's just sad.

"Bastard, I don't even know what the hell my dream was supposed to mean." I admitted.

"Perhaps you can describe it? I'm very good at interpreting dreams, if I do say so myself~" France suggested lightly. I kept my eyes trained on my food.

"Put some clothes on and maybe I'll consider it." I retorted.

"…eh, not worth it." He answered. I snorted quietly. Typical.

"I dreamt that I was an eagle that soared over the countryside. What does that mean?" America asked.

"Well, normally, that is a sign that you want freedom."

"But… I'm America."

"It was probably just a scene from one of your movies. You've dragged me to a couple that had a scene like that in the beginning." England suggested.

"Hahaha, maybe!" America laughed. I could hear them start a whole conversation over their dreams and American movies and eagles and some other shit. I tuned it out and kept eating. When I was finished, I finally looked up. My brother and the potatoes were now in the conversation. The only people who were quiet was Japan, who was just listening to them, and Spain, which was really weird. The bastard never could keep his mouth shut. Right now, he was looking off into space with a focused expression, like his life depended on staring at that one spot on the wall.

"Don't hurt yourself, bastard. You look like you're gonna pop a vein." I stated. He blinked and looked at me. He smiled, out of nowhere. What's with him and smiling at me all the time. Every time he looks at me, he has that goofy grin on his face. I felt my face get warm. What is making him so damn happy all the time? I don't get it. "What are you smiling at?" I finally asked when he didn't answer to my snide comment.

"Oh, no reason." He shrugged, suddenly blushing. "I just like to smile."

"Cheerful bastard." I scoffed.

"You should smile more too, you know. You have a beautiful smile." I blinked and turned redder. Where did that come from?

"L-like hell I will. What do I have to smile for?" I stood up without waiting for an answer. "I'm going to go shower and change." I turned on my heel and walked into the bathroom. I leaned against the door for a second and rubbed my cheek. It was way too warm. Stupid bastard, making me feel this way. What the fuck is the matter with him?

What the fuck was the matter with _me_?

**X-X-X**

Once I was finished with my shower, dressed, and threw France's clothes at his creepy bearded face, the others who weren't already dressed followed my lead and we eventually began another meeting.

"Well, then, now we can contact the outside world, so we also need someone to stay here. Something like a control tower." Japan started.

"Incidentally, it seems that that monster also goes outside, so those out there are in for a hard fight, as well." Germany said with regret. He held up his cell phone. "Austria has informed us that they have dispersed and will take care of it all at once." He looked around at everyone, looking impressed. "The whole world is gathered here. In other words... we are united with the whole world right now."

"What should we do?" China wondered.

"I want to search for the metal pieces." Veneziano decided. "I hid one somewhere on the 2nd floor. Let's search for it and then go to the 4th floor." The other nations nodded in agreement.

"Oh! I remember that one. It's the one that you and I hid, right?" America asked. Veneziano nodded and stared at him curiously. "I saw it when we broke the clock." He explained.

"What the hell? You should have told us yesterday!" England chided. America looked at him. He looked a little nervous, for some reason.

"… It'd have been a little dangerous if I'd told you yesterday. I... won't say who to, though." He looked away. England opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.

"You mean one of us was going to die?" France asked. America hesitated before nodding. I felt a bit bad for the bastard. Whatever he saw when he broke the clock really shook him. "In that case, who can go get the metal piece?"

"I'll go, then." Spain spoke up. "If you tell me where it is, I'll go get it alone." I huffed. Alone? What does he think he's doing?

"I'll go, too." I said firmly, flashing Spain a look. I tried to ignore the bright smile he gave me in return and looked at my brother instead. "What are the chances the Thing is going to appear?" Veneziano bit his lip for a moment before looking at me seriously.

"100%"

"Heh, bring it on." I smirked, hiding the pang of fear that just ran through me. "Never underestimate the country of the Mafia." Well, I wasn't lying. My brother and I made it farther than anyone would've thought possible, after all.

"I'm coming with you. If possible, we should go in few numbers." Veneziano said, looking from me to Spain. I nodded. Veneziano didn't have a lot of fighting skill, but his journal had spells for healing. It was either him or France, the only other healer. There's no way that fuckface is tagging along.

"Do you mind if one more goes? I'm coming with you." Germany said. I opened my mouth to refuse, but Veneziano nodded (with enthusiasm, little fucker) before I could say anything. Germany smiled and turned to look at me. "It's not far from here, and I'll request reinforcements if anything comes up." He defended. I made a face and said nothing. The bastards took that as confirmation. "And I'd be grateful if they came running to us right away." He directed that statement to the others.

"So... five people will be too much." Russia raised an eyebrow. We nodded. "All right. We'll be ready to leave right away. Prussia, can you get in touch with those outside?" Prussia nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Okay. England, Canada, you'll help me." The two agreed and went to get their phones. America walked over to Veneziano.

"The place is the room opposite to the fireplace room. It's supposed to be well-hidden under the carpet." Veneziano nodded.

"Got it~ We're off, sir." They saluted and parted, America going with Canada and England and Veneziano heading for the door. Germany, Spain, and I got our weapons and followed.

**X-X-X**

I couldn't help but feel excited as the four of us headed out. Ita lead the way to the room, murmuring to himself and chatting with Germany ahead of us. Lovi and I walked behind them. Goosebumps appeared on my arms as I pictured us fighting all together. I haven't seen Ita or Germany fight here yet, but they had to survive against the monsters before the rest of us. No doubt they were good. I already knew how good a fighter Lovi was, and I was really good myself.

I also felt a bit of tension in the air, which was weird. I never paid attention to this type of thing before. Maybe the excitement for battle heightened my senses. Whatever it was, it didn't affect Ita or Germany. When I peeked at Lovi, though, I could see his shoulders were stiff and he was blushing. He looked so cute with those red cheeks of his. He always had a habit of looking like a little tomato, even now.

"Oy, what are you staring at?" I suddenly heard him say. I blinked and noticed that I was indeed looking right at him, and he looked back with annoyed eyes.

"Oh! Sorry, Lovi, I didn't notice." I rubbed the back of my head with a small nervous chuckle. He eyed me weirdly.

"You didn't notice that you were staring at me like some creep?" He sounded skeptical. I shrugged and looked straight. Ah, it was strange. Ever since this morning when I woke him up, I've felt strange all over. Am I getting sick? I should ask China if he has any medicine.

"Oh, it's this room!" Ita called over his shoulder, peeking into the room we were in front of earlier.

"This is the room we found you in." Germany stated. We slowly made our way in. Germany closed door behind us. We didn't bother locking it, since we knew it was going to attack anyway. I was more than ready, and the others looked that way as well.

"America said it was under the carpet." Ita recalled, getting on his knees and patting at the rug. I began to crouch, but Lovi put his hand to my chest.

"You keep a lookout for the thing. Potato, you should check the room for anything else worth keeping in here." He ordered. Germany nodded and started scanning the room. I stood close to the door and smiled at the way he was glowing. Lovi did always like to take charge, when given the chance. Lovi and Ita crawled around patting at the rug. Germany looked at the bookshelves. I kept my back against the door, holding my axe at the ready.

"There are so many books." Germany said, really amazed. "To think that those things can read."

"Maybe this house was owned by people before those things took over." I suggested. It was possible, since every piece of furniture isn't something a creature like that would need.

"Or maybe the Thing is smarter than we think." Lovi said quietly. I frowned and felt a chill go up my spine. The thought of the monster being smart, maybe even smarter than us, is much more frightening than being attacked.

"Oh! I think I found it!" Ita exclaimed. He had one hand frozen on the carpet while the other one dove underneath and rummaged around. When he finally pulled it out, there was a piece of metal in it. It was a different shape than the one we already found, but it looks like the same material.

"Nice job, Ita!" I praised. Ita smiled brightly and pocketed the metal piece. Germany walked over and patted his shoulder.

"Yes, good work, Italy."

"I hid it here…" He tapped his shoe against the spot where his hand had just been. It was a slightly random place, if you ask me. Just a little further to the right and it would be too deep underneath to reach, and it was just off center. "I don't remember that at all."

"Hey, Veneziano." Lovi spoke up, dusting off his pants. He looked a little annoyed. "Where's the monster going to come from?"

"Oh, err…" Just before Ita could say anything, there was a huge _CRASH_ as a huge monster dropped down from the ceiling and right in front of the door. The floor shook and I just barely kept my balance just in time to catch Lovi before he fell. Once we were able to stand, we wasted no time. Germany pulled out his whip and snapped it at the monster. It growled and took swipes at him as Lovi and I pulled out our own weapons.

The monster was bigger than the ones I've seen earlier. Its body was bigger and a little more muscular, but it still had a huge head. It had a slight hunch, like some caveman. Ita stood back and flipped through his journal. According to Francis, he and Ita were the healers, so it was best for them to stay unharmed longer so they could tend to whoever is injured or knocked out.

Germany's whip slowly began to glow. He shouted something to me and Lovi, but we couldn't hear. Overpowering his voice was a louder, raspy, otherworldly voice.

"**yOu … WoN't … EsC… aPe**" Suddenly, a painful shock ran through my body. I winced and stumbled back.

"Be careful! It can use magic!" Ita called, flinching when he received a shock as well. I looked at Lovi and Germany. They both looked fine.

"Bastard." Lovi growled out. He lifted his gun and fired several rounds at the monster. It winced, but didn't have the chance to turn before Germany caught it across the face. His whip glowed brightly and looked like it hit the same spot several time. That must be Germany's special skill.

I focused on the excitement pooling in the pit of my stomach. Prussia told me back at the safe room that I had to use a lot of energy to use a special skill. My axe blade glowed red. As soon as it did, I ran at the monster and sliced at its stomach area. It stumbled back as a small explosion came from my axe and hit exactly where I made contact with the Thing.

I grinned in slight bloodlust. It's been too long since I've made my enemies weaker and weaker. Soon, this thing will be no more~. The Thing regained balance and I posed for another attack. I could see Germany and Lovi doing the same. However, the monster raised a claw and aimed it at me. I heard it growl out a new word. "**DIE!**" Pain hit me between the ribs as I felt myself fly. I twisted a bit in the air and my arm made contact with the wall before I fell to the ground.

"Spain!" I heard Lovi call out. I groaned and scrambled to reassure him. I tried to look at him, but pain clouded my eyes a little.

"I-I'm okay! J-just finish it off!"

"I'll heal him!" I heard Ita call before I heard footsteps running to me. My vision cleared enough to see Ita kneeling beside me and putting a hand to my arm. I winced and hissed. "Your arm is broken!" Ita squeaked. He flipped through his journal and began chanting as his hand gently rested on my arm. I blinked slowly to clear the spots in front of my eyes. When I could finally see, the pain subsiding slightly, I saw the monster running at us.

"Ita, behind you!' I warned. Ita stopped chanting and looked to see it running. He let out a cry and I tried to sit up. Broken arm be damned. Where the hell did my axe go?

"YOU WON'T TOUCH THEM, YOU BASTARD!" I heard my henchman yell, followed by gunshots. Instead of bullets, however, I saw swift lights fly at the monster. It stumbled sideways with each shot, the light bullets leaving really painful-looking marks. The monster already looked beaten, but it took one more red-lit hit from Germany's whip against its forehead for it to collapse and disappear.

In the commotion, I didn't notice that Ita had gone back to his chant until he began to stand and I didn't feel any pain in my arm anymore. The little Italian helped me stand. "Are you alright, Big Brother Spain?" He asked. I smiled and nodded, rolling my shoulder.

"Yes, it feels much better. Thank you, Ita." Ita sighed in relief and gave me a quick hug before rushing to Germany, who looked worse for wear. He must've taken hits from the monster when I was out. Lovi was rushing over to me. "Lovi! Thank you for saving me~" _Smack! _I winced when Lovi hit me in the shoulder. "Ouch! Don't hurt me, Lovi. I'm fragile."

"You stupid tomato bastard, why didn't you move out of the way BEFORE it used magic!" He scolded. He couldn't fool me, though. He may try to look angry, but I could see the worry in his eyes. I smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Lovi, don't worry. See?" I waved my arm. "Your brother did a great job."

"Hnn." Lovi looked away, looking annoyed again.

"You did great, too. If it weren't for you, Ita and I would've been goners." I praised. He blushed tomato-red and gave me a halfhearted push.

"L-like I care, stupid bastard." He grumbled, then turned to look around the room. I looked around at the damage as well. Almost all of the furniture was broken or had fallen over. Only one bookshelf stayed intact, though some of the books had fallen out. Then, I looked up at the ceiling.

"I thought it was going to come from the door, not from above..."

"Sorry, he'll drop from above." Ita admitted. Lovi growled and stalked over to his brother to give him a punch to the shoulder. "Ouch!"

"Now it's too late! You should have said it before it appeared, you bastard!" He complained. He turned to walk to the door. "Anyway, let's go to the 4th floor, quickly." He ripped open the door and stomped out.

"I said I was sorry!" Ita called after him, rubbing his shoulder. He groaned and ran after his older brother. "Oh, don't go ahead on your own! It's dangerous!" He called. Germany and I exchanged an exhausted look before we followed after the bickering Italian brothers.

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**Translations:**

**Buenos Noches- good night**

**The fight scene pleases me. Very much so. Alright, next chapter in 5 days as usual. Rate and Review~**


	11. Grandpa Rome's Weird Fanboy

**Disclaimer: Himapapa is the luckiest man in the world, for he owns Hetalia. My heart goes out to the girl who made HetaOni, she has been on hiatus because the earthquake in Japan.**

**I've recently read a scantalation for the 5th Hetalia manga, where it talks about the different horror movies you see in different countries. Spain's is particularly interesting, and kind of ironic. Keep that in mind as the story progresses.**

**Romano does a full-chapter POV in this one.**

* * *

My footsteps echoed through the empty halls as I stomped my way to the fourth floor. I could hear Veneziano running after me and calling out for me not to go off on my own, but I didn't give a fuck. I was too pissed. My stupid brother almost killed us, almost got himself and Spain killed, because he still thinks he has to keep things from us. Spain was too cocky and was a sitting duck when his own life was in danger, and _no_, I-I didn't actually care about the tomato bastard, but if he died, we'd have to turn back time and like hell I'm doing this shit again. As if my life didn't hate me enough, I also had to deal with the potato bastard. Just his presence annoyed the crap out of me.

By the time I got to the 4th floor, I realized I had no idea which room we were supposed to go to. I only remember Veneziano saying he wanted to go to the 4th floor and I knew why. I sighed and leaned against the railing of the stairs, reluctantly waiting for the other assholes to catch up so they can tell me where the hell we were going. Eventually, I saw them run at the base of the stairs like a bunch of maniacs. I actually outran them? Weird.

"Don't… go off… on… y-your own…" Veneziano panted. Spain was also breathing heavily (which wasn't the reason my face turned red at all, so shut up). Germany barely broke a sweat, but that didn't surprise me.

"Where are we going now?" I asked bluntly. I had to wait for Veneziano to catch his breath, but as soon as he did, he gestured for us to follow him. We walked around the stairs, past a single door on our right, and to another door. He pulled out a key that had 'attic' engraved on it and unlocked the door. We all went inside and locked the door behind us. We weren't ready for another battle yet.

It looked like any normal attic. It had a table, the usual bookshelf, a closet, and a few chairs. Spain and Germany sat down at the table to relax while Veneziano went to the bookshelf in the corner and started moving it. "Lovi, are you okay?" Spain asked suddenly. I looked to meet his worried gaze. "Feli healed you, right?"

"No, I didn't have a chance to before _fratello_ ran off." Veneziano frowned at me, then blinked and stared at Spain, just like I did. "Ve, Feli?"

"Mmhm! I just came up with the new nickname for you. It's short for Feliciano, just like Lovi is short for Lovino!" Spain chirped, looking too damn cheerful and proud of himself.

"That's really clever, Big Brother Spain!" Veneziano cheered. "Alright, then I am now Feli!" He looked at me. "Vee, what do you think, Lovi? Isn't my nickname cute~?"

"If you say so, but if you call me Lovi again, I'll make you eat marmite 'till you get sick when we get home." I threatened. Veneziano pouted, but nodded.

"Lovi, I think you missed my question. Are you okay?" Spain asked again.

"I feel fine, dammit. I don't need healing." I told him. It wasn't a lie. I wasn't hurt at all. I felt a little drained from using magic for the first time, but it's nothing a little rest couldn't fix.

"If you say so, but if you don't feel well, let us know. Feli can heal you and I can carry you!" He beamed at me. I looked away from him, memories of being carried yesterday coming back to me.

"Nnng!" Veneziano struggled to move the bookcase. Spain and I moved to help, but Germany got there first and the two of them moved it aside. Behind it, I could see the little slots where the metal pieces went. My view of them was blocked, however, by some… white thing. It looked like a blob with eyes and a mouth. A single blonde hair poked out. It let out a small squeak when it saw us.

"Whoa! What's that?" Spain walked over next to me to get a closer look. Veneziano and Germany walked around the bookcase to look for themselves. They looked just as confused as I (probably Spain, too) felt.

"Was it here before? Er…" He walked over and grabbed the blob. He tried tugging at it, but the thing wouldn't budge an inch. It was stuck in the slots. Veneziano tried a few more tugs before turning to look at us. "What are we going to do? I can't get it out." He let go of it. Almost immediately, there was a huge _BANG_. We all jumped and Veneziano stumbled back. "Argh!"

"H-hey, are you all right?! Did it attack you?!" Germany rushed over to my brother's side. Veneziano shook his head and patted at his own chest.

"Veh... I'm fine... I think. But that sound... it came from this." He nodded to the white blob. There was another loud _BANG_.

"What? That sound—Maybe it's hungry?" Spain suggested with a shrug. "Why don't we feed it?" I stared at him. Was he serious?

"Hungry?! Does that sound like a rumbling stomach to you?!" I yelled at him. He shrugged again and flashed a goofy grin.

"It looks kinda painful... Do you think it's hungry? Maybe it'll come out if we feed it?" Veneziano mused, patting his pockets. "Oh, but I don't have any food."

"We could ask them to bring some. Try calling them." Germany suggested, referring to the nations back at the 'control tower'. I stared at them in disbelief.

"What, you're still talking about it being hungry?" I rubbed my temples. "I can't believe this..."

"Well, the strange and unknown can have different habits than us." Spain said gently. "We don't know what it is or what it does, but food is always a safe bet."

"…I guess." I agreed, begrudgingly. We sat around and waited while Veneziano looked for signal on his phone and called Japan. I could hear him gush about being really close to getting out. I let myself smile a little. It was true, we were so close now. I can feel for my brother. This was the farthest he has gotten without losing anyone. Maybe that giant clock he mentioned won't be used again after all.

When Veneziano hung up and announced that Japan and the others will be up here shortly, we had to endure another half an hour of sitting around and idle chat before the douchebags showed their faces. Spain had to poke me in the sides a few times to make sure I didn't fall asleep from boredom and, of course, I stomped his head in vengeance. Veneziano passed the time by wandering the room.

"Oh." He made a surprised sound as he looked in the closet.

"What is it?" Germany asked. Veneziano pulled out what looked like an alarm clock. It was painted black with suspicious red stains. From where I sat, I could see the hands spinning wildly, even though it made normal-sounding ticking sounds.

"Oh. That's one of the clocks you've been finding." Spain said. Veneziano nodded and looked at it for a long time.

"Should we break it?" He finally asked. I frowned. I still didn't know fully what the side effect of the clock breaking was. From what I gathered, it was similar to when I get my brother's memories. I haven't gotten any since I arrived here, and I wasn't in a huge hurry to get any, either. I looked at Spain. He looked unsure as well.

"Let's wait for the others to get here before we decide." Germany suggested. Veneziano nodded and put the clock on the bookshelf for the moment. After what felt like hours, there was a knock on the attic door. Veneziano stood up and unlocked the door to let Japan in. Right behind him came Prussia, America, England, Russia, China, and Canada. We stood to greet them.

"Sorry it took us so long to come." Japan apologized.

"No, we've also been through a lot. I'm rather thankful that we're all gathered." Germany told him. Japan smiled, nodded, and set down a variety of food on the table. I saw a few blueberries, some scones from this morning (they look much more unappetizing now, if that's even possible), and some potato (ick) and tomatoes.

"Wow, you sure brought a lot. We just needed something to tempt it with." I commented, snagging one of the tomatoes.

"And we also found a clock. We hadn't broken the one in this room yet. We weren't sure we should..." Veneziano fiddled with the clock in his hands. "I think you already know this, but we're going to get out very soon. There's no need to see memories from the past any more... and Austria and the others are taking care of things outside."

"Germany? What's the matter?" I heard America ask. I looked to see the macho potato fidgeting.

"Nothing, I was just wondering... why don't I see any memories from the past? Isn't that odd? I'm the only one..." He frowned. My eyebrow rose. He's not being affected?

"Oh, right, I've always wondered about that, too." Veneziano tilted his head in thought. "... What universe was it...? You see, America said that the memories were just forgotten, but they hadn't disappeared. So, you should still have them, Germany." I frowned at the thought that popped into my head.

"Maybe they're being passed on?" The other nations looked at me curiously, except Veneziano and Spain. They knew what I was talking about, and their eyes went a little wide at the thought.

"Passed on?" Prussia asked. I nodded and started to explain.

"What I mean is, maybe Potato Head is the same as Veneziano? Some of Veneziano's memories were passed on to me and we shared them. Because we're very close." My voice became a little firm there. "In Potato Head's case, maybe all of his memories are being passed on to... someone?" I trailed off, looking around. A few nations were still considering the possibility, a few others frowned in confusion at the question I left them.

"But then... who on Earth could that be? Prussia?" We looked at Prussia, who blinked and shook his head.

"M-me?! But I haven't got any of West's memories!"

"Nah, you're a little different…" England assured the flustered former nation.

"Someone so close to Germany... that his memories are being passed on to them... All of his memories, at that..." France murmured.

"Or someone who matches his wavelength an awful lot..." I looked at Spain, his strange tone of voice surprising me. He was looking at Germany really seriously as if seeing him in a whole new light.

"They have all of my memories? But... someone like that—I don't—" Germany looked really confused and anxious. I could almost see the gears in his head running into overdrive. The slightest sound from my brother brought me to attention. He was staring at Germany with huge eyes, his mouth opening and closing like some fish. He had a similar expression to Spain's, like he was suddenly seeing Germany differently.

"Veneziano? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. He shook his head slowly. I wasn't sure if he didn't hear me or didn't want to answer.

"Could it be...? No... it can't be..." I heard him mutter.

"Italy…" Prussia said slowly, walking over to put a hand on my brother's now trembling shoulder.

"…Italy." France murmured, looking solemn. I looked at Spain. He wore the same pitying expression as his friends. I remembered only one other time I've seen him look like that, and everything clicked. I looked at Germany and remembered when I helped my brother with his memory in the bathroom yesterday. Well, there's a reason I haven't heard that name in centuries.

**X-X-X**

No one talked about the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. Hell, everyone who still remembered and really cared about it was right in this room, and there were 2-3 other people just outside the mansion. I didn't remember much about him myself. Just that he lived in Austria's house and tried to become the next Grandpa Rome. Good thing my brother had enough sense not to hand over control of his half to make that dream a reality. His half is already German enough.

I remember one day when I was just at the brink of independence (around my teen years), Spain and France were just sitting around, looking really upset. France looked especially broken (or drunk, one of the two). I asked what happened, but they didn't answer me. Spain just told me to go outside for a bit. Later, when France was gone, he explained that France was responsible for the fall of an ally of the House of Hapsburgs. Something to do with his boss.

The entire world pretty much assumed that HRE died just like my grandfather. I believed it, too (and didn't care either way). I always assumed Veneziano believed it as well. Now, I wasn't so sure. He looked very ready to assume that HRE was still alive. He was talking to France now, but I was too far away to hear what they were talking about. He kept eyeing the potato, standing nearby in the corner. England, America, and Japan, in the meantime, were trying to get the white blob unstuck. Japan said it was called a mochi.

"It won't eat... It obstinately refuses to. Since we went through all the trouble to bring it food, should we force it to eat?" Japan asked, waving a blueberry in front of the mochi.

"Maybe the food is too good for it to take? America, didn't you bring anything else?" England turned to look at America.

"What, you mean inside my hero pockets...?" America rummaged around in his jacket and pants pockets. "All I have is a withered cabbage." He held up a raw head of cabbage. I rolled my eyes. We weren't getting anywhere with this.

"Romano." I reacted automatically to the sound of my name and turned to look at the potato bastard who said it.

"What do you want?" I grumbled. I probably sounded rude, but who gives a damn. Germany let out a small sigh.

"Do… do you know who might be getting my memories?" He asked, tentivly. "It seems like everyone suspects something, and Italy… if he knows, that must mean you know."

"I don't exactly have ESPN, bastard." I made a face. "I just get the memories my brother can't handle keeping. I haven't even gotten any since I came here." He nodded slowly.

"I see." He murmured. I couldn't help but sigh through my nose. It's probably all those memories of him dying that softened me up, but I couldn't help but feel bad for the macho potato. This whole situation was already hitting him harder than anyone else. 'Death' is not in the man's vocabulary, yet he had gone through his own death and others several times before. Now he finds out that he will never be able to remember because his mind is on a whole other world from everyone else's and there's the possibility that someone else is receiving them. I wondered if this is how Veneziano felt about my arrival.

"Do you actually remember anything?" I wondered. He nodded.

"From this time, yes. Whenever we break a clock, though, I never saw anything or felt anything overcome me. I just watched the other nations stand there and stare off into space. Some were so into it, they moved without meaning to. It was strange that I didn't witness something like they did."

"For what it's worth…" I began, fidgeting. God, I can't believe I'm actually going to try to be nice. Germany looked at me curiously. "… you're lucky. Getting memories like that, it's a horrible thing to go through. None of the things I've seen so far were good things." He nodded and eyed me, as if I was going to say more. Which I was. "A-and… hum… if someone else IS getting your memories, maybe we'll get more help from the outside as a result." I rubbed the back of my neck, turning red. This was probably as nice as I could be toward the buff German. It felt too weird.

"Thank you, Romano." I looked to see him smiling gently. I scoffed and shrugged a shoulder.

"Don't thank me. I could be wrong and your problem is completely worthless to us, potato head." I grumbled.

"Amazing! How did you do it?" I heard Canada say. I turned to see everyone staring down at the now unstuck mochi on the ground.

"Hm? I tried to shove a fresh scone into its mouth and it just came out." England shrugged and smiled at the thing, waving the sickly scone in his hand around. " Were you that eager to eat it, little guy? There, there!" I never felt more pity for a living creature since the day France taught my brother about sex.

"... Well, then, shall we insert the metal piece? America, please stop staring at it and come help me." Japan gestured to the airhead American, who just grinned down at the mochi.

"It radiates such an aura of intelligence! Do you want some withered cabbage?" America offered the cabbage to the mochi. It made a weird face. I heard Japan sigh.

"Fine. This old man will do all the hard work by himself..." He went to the holes and inserted the keys. "There. Now—" There was a sudden rumble and a loud noise right outside the door. Everyone froze and looked at the door.

"Whaaat?!" Prussia exclaimed.

"Wh-what was that?" I tried not to whimper.

"I'll check it out." China walked to the door. Spain gripped his axe and followed.

"Me, too." I mumbled a 'be careful' as he walked by, but I highly doubt he heard. Good, because what the hell did I say such an embarrassing thing for.

"I-I wonder what was that tremor..." Japan wondered out loud as China and Spain left the room.

"It came from the hallway." Russia said.

"Aaaargh! Hey, you guys, come here now!" China called. A few nations already rushed outside.

"Let's go. We'll soon reach the exit. Oh, um... My advice is... don't be surprised." Veneziano said seriously. The rest of us nodded and followed him out. Right outside the door was another set of stairs. There were voices coming from the upstairs and I could just barely see red stand out against the white of the walls. I felt a pang in my heart.

"Fuck." I mumbled.

"Mm? I see. You knew." Germany noted. I sighed, exchanged an unwilling glance with Veneziano, and climbed the stairs. I could hear Japan trying to soothe the potato head and America laughing about… something. My brother and I made it to the top and stood face to face with the next door. The walls had bloody handprints all over, and an aura of cold emitted from the room. I felt goosebumps on my arms. This was one of the rooms I've seen through Veneziano's eyes that I've only seen once, but it was enough to stick in my mind.

I heard Germany, America, and Japan climb up the stairs behind me. I took a deep breath and reluctantly walked in.

* * *

**Allow me to shed some light on the HRE thing. There were several countries who fought Holy Roman Empire throughout the ages leading up to its disband in 1806 when the last Holy Roman Emperor abdicated, following a military defeat by France under Napoleon (Treaty of Pressburg), and became the emperor of Austria. Napoleon then proceeded to reorganize the Empire into the Confederation of the Rhine, which was replaced by the German Confederation at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. So, France would be partially responsible for HRE's disbandment. I'm not sure if he would feel guilty about it, but it fits the story.  
**

**Also, thank you everyone who favorited, reviewed, and are following this story. Oh, and for the anon who was wondering, rating is not an actual thing of FF ^^; it's basically a scale of 'i love it' to 'i hate it'.**

**Next chapter will be Spain's narration. Rate and Review~**


	12. The Moon and Tomato Juice

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

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I swore I had entered hell when I walked up the stairs. As if the freaky bloody handprints at the entrance weren't enough, it looked like whole bodies were drained of it on the inside of the room. There were blood streaks and prints everywhere. The worse part of it were the numbers on the floor, written in a circle like a clock.

China had called out for the others before we stepped in, so they slowly began to file in. They looked around with the same shocked and freaked-out expression I probably had.

"I know it sounds odd coming from me... but this room is a little creepy." Russia said, looking truly disturbed.

"The temperature is strangely low in this room. It's freezing..." China rubbed at his arms. Russia noticed and offered China his scarf. Aww, how nice of him.

"This feels too different from what we've seen so far. We may have got into the enemy's core." England said darkly. I shuddered. That was a freaky thought.

"This place feels weird. Be careful." Gilbert warned, eyeing the bloody numbers. I was just wondering where Feli, Lovi, and the others are when they started filing through the door. Germany, Japan, and America made their own expressions of horror and shock. Lovi grimaced and bit his lip. Feli just pursed his lips. Feli must've remembered this from a previous time, as did Lovi through his brother.

"This is real blood... And with the hand prints on the entrance, this has to be the worst room ever." America choked out.

"Err... I remember how this room works. Do you want me to tell you the answer?" I heard Feli ask Japan. Lovi wandered over to me.

"This room is terrifying." I told him idly. He nodded, leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back.

"No shit. You know what the worse part of it is?" he asked solemnly. I shook my head and he held up his hand, which was dripping red liquid. "It's still wet." I jumped back with a yelp.

"Ack! Noo!" That DID make the room worse. Who's blood is it? Who was here before us? Why was Lovi laughing? Wait… Lovi was laughing…

"Pffff I totally got you!" He cackled. I stared at him.

"Huh?" I grunted, terribly confused. He pulled his other hand from behind his back between snickers. There was a crushed tomato.

"I-it was just t-tomato juice! Oh God, y-y-you're so stupid!" he laughed, doubling over a bit and trying to stifle/stop his laughter. Probably due to the weird looks everyone was giving us. I only half paid attention to what was going on. I partially processed that I've just been tricked. My full attention was on the fact that Lovi was laughing. It made me smile.

I have no idea what came over me, absolutely none, but the next thing I knew, I had grabbed Lovi's dripping hand by the wrist and gave his palm a quick lick. He froze, paled, and then blushed in about 2 seconds flat, which was quite impressive. "Wh-what the hell?!" He gasped, ripped his hand out of my grip, and glared at me. "Y-you asshole! What did you do that for?!"

"Just cleaning off the tomato juice, Lovi." I said innocently. Honestly, I didn't have a reason for doing it, but telling him that would probably make things worse. He huffed, reached over, and wiped his whole hand on the front of my shirt.

"There, it's clean."

"Aww, Japan just washed this."

"You deserve it, stupid." He crossed his arms and brought the tomato in his hand up to his mouth to take a bite. Even though it was crushed, that tomato looked really good. I pouted and leaned my face in close to him. He eyed me, his face the same color as his snack.

"Wh-what do you want now?!"

"Can I have a bite, Lovi? Pretty please?" I begged, giving him my best smile. I got a little worried when his eyes became unfocused, but he blinked and went back to normal.

"Fine, whatever, but don't ask me for more. In fact, don't talk to me until we get out of this room." He held out the tomato for me. I bit my lip and weighed my options. Well, I was hungry, but I wanted to talk to my Lovi! Ah, but if Japan and the others solve the puzzle here (I was sure it was a puzzle of some sort) quick enough, I can talk to him AND still get a taste of the yummy tomato without having to wait very long~. That sounds like a good deal. I started to raise my hand to take the tomato, but the way he was holding it gave me a better and slightly crazier idea.

I leaned closer to his hand and took a big bite of the vegetable, right out of his hand. I felt my teeth graze one of his fingers. As I chewed, I looked up at him, smiled, and made a 'lips zipped' motion with my hand. He just stared at me, cheeks a deep shade of red and eyebrows furrowed, but his eyes were soft. Hm, it was a weird expression, but it was still cute, since Lovi was always cute. I stood up straight and happily chewed on my tomato. As suspected, it was delicious~. I didn't stand a chance at getting more, since Lovi ate the rest really quickly.

**X-X-X**

"There was an X on the moon."

"And then there's the numbers on the floor. Are they representing a clock? If we assume so... an X on the moon and a clock..."

"It means... the time when the moon doesn't show up?"

"Hmm, right. But that's too broad. Maybe something to do with the seasons?" The nations around us were busily trying to figure out the puzzle. The only clue we were given was the picture on the wall. It was a picture of the moon, crossed out with blood. Feli and Lovi kept quiet, having been warned not to give them the answer. I had frowned at that. This would go much faster if Feli would tell them the answer. The sooner we get out of this horrible room, the sooner I can talk to Lovi again~.

"Maybe the moon tonight—no, no. Dammit... Our past selves did solve this, right?" England asked, scowling in thought.

"Hm... Yeah, sort of." Feli rocked on his heels.

"Being outsmarted by myself is out of the question!" America announced, then frowned and walked towards Feli. "Say, Italy... what's that switch at your feet?" I glanced down and noticed there was, in fact, a button on the floor in front of Feli.

"Oh! Amer—" America stepped on the button before Feli could finish. Suddenly, a painful shock practically stabbed me. I doubled over in pain and faintly noticed that everyone else had the same reaction, except for America and France.

"Ow!" Prussia cried.

"America! Be a little more careful when you do anything!" China yelled to the frozen America, who just about jumped off the button as quickly as he could.

"Ack! I-I'm sorry! It was my fault!"

"If you don't solve it correctly, we take a hit..." Lovi groaned out, a hand over his chest. "Chigii! That fucking hurts, you bastard!" I wanted badly to comfort the poor Italian, but there was something that caught my eye earlier.

"Hm? France, you don't look like you're in much pain. Did you enjoy the pain?" France looked at me strangely, but he was perfectly unharmed.

"Well, if a lady wants me to—" He began, then stopped and shook his head. "I mean, it didn't hurt me that much. It was just static electricity."

"Oh, France is standing on one of the numbers..." Canada pointed out. I glanced down. He was standing on the bloody 3. "Then... er... that means... maybe... we have to stand on the numbers and press the switch?" He guessed, looking at each number.

"Oh, erm—" Feli opened his mouth, but Germany cut him off.

"Hey, you be quiet! Now, each one of us is going to stand on a number."

"Right." We all moved to the closest number to where we stood. All 12 of us occupied a number, so we hit a snag.

"Well, now there's no one to press the switch. Maybe someone on the time when there's no moon should get away from his number and be in charge of the switch?" Russia suggested.

"The moon…" Japan murmured.

"Veh, by the way, Japan can solve this. I mean, if it weren't for Japan, maybe we wouldn't have solved it..." Feli said, beaming at his friend.

"Yeah, you're right. The moon isn't just that thing in the sky, is it?" Lovi said oddly.

"... Hm?! I think I kind of got it." China nodded, furrowing his brow. Japan furrowed his as well.

"... Other than the sky... The lunar calendar...? The first month is Mutsuki, the second month is Kisaragi. And the third month is... Yayoi..." Japan gasped, realizing something. "It doesn't have the kanji for "moon"!" Ah! A month without the word, 'moon'! That must be it.

"I see. So, I have to step off number three." France stepped away.

"So? Is it just France who has to move?" Gilbert asked Japan.

"Oh, er…" Japan began reciting his month names, counting off on his hands. He got to twelve and looked up. "The twelfth month is Shiwasu."

"Hm, then Italy has to move." England stated.

"All right. I'll step away." Feli murmured, but didn't move. He looked uneasy. I peeked over at Lovi and saw he looked troubled, too. Does that mean something bad is going to happen? I saw Japan nod to France, who stepped around his number and headed for the switch.

"Aaah! Stop! W-wait a minute! Please, wait!" Canada cried out. Everyone froze in their tracks.

"What, what's wrong?" I asked the freaked-out Canadian.

"It's the other way around! It's not that 3 and 12 are the numbers we don't step on; 3 and 12 are the numbers we have to step on! Because... um..." he trailed off, fidgeting.

"Oh, you're right. Because there were only ten of us before, and if we all stepped on the numbers, there'd be no one to press the switch." Gilbert finished for him.

"True... Besides, even if all of us had been alive, it still wouldn't have been enough. If it's just 3 and 12, even if only three of us had survived, it'd be enough." Russia noted. I shuddered at the horrible thought.

"Ugh... I don't want to think about that, but, well, you're right. It's a sound argument." Germany ruefully agreed. "So, France, go back to your number. The others will step away... Japan, you press the switch, please."

"Yes." Japan agreed. We stepped back from out numbers, leaving only Feli and France on numbers 3 and 12. Japan stepped up and carefully stepped on the button. I braced for impact, but thankfully, nothing happened. There was a slight rumbling sound somewhere behind me. We looked to see a door, not unlike any other door in the house.

"Oh, a door appeared." Japan smiled in relief.

"All right! Let's go ahead!" America started for the door.

"Oh! Wait!" Feli called.

"What is it?" China asked. Feli took a deep breath.

"I didn't tell you the answer for this room, but I can't be so carefree from now on. In the last room, there'll be a key hanging on the wall. That's the key to the front door. As soon as we get it, you have to run. A monster will come after us, so just run to the front door." He told us seriously. Everyone took a moment to process that information.

"More than ever, you mean." I lifted an eyebrow at him. Feli nodded and I smiled. "All right! I'll warm up, then!" I reached over, grabbed Lovi's wrist, and ran through the door while dragging the startled Southern Italian with me. Don't ask me why. I just felt playful all of a sudden~.

**X-X-X**

This whole damn trip to the moon puzzle has been confusing and irritating, and it's all because of the insane Spaniard currently pulling me by the arm. First, he licked my hand (ugh, d-disgusting. I still felt his tongue on my palm), not even getting upset over my prank (and that's half the fun of doing a prank, dammit!). Then, he eats almost half of my tomato right out of my hand (h-his fucking teeth scraped my finger, d-damn bastard). Now, he just _grabs _me and started hauling me through the door, not even considering what could be waiting behind it. I didn't even know! Veneziano didn't pass on any memories of what happened after the puzzle was solved!

We didn't immediately walk into a room. There was a short corridor leading up to the next room, which the tomato freak raced towards. I heard voices and calls from behind me, but it was currently impossible for me to answer or even look back. At some point, I heard someone yell 'you go, Spain!'. I think it was Prussia. That potato muncher better be referring to Spain's sudden urge to race.

When we finally ran into the room, Spain skid to a sudden stop, making me slam into him and both of us fall forward. He fell face-first into… carpet? While I fell on top of him. "Ugh… damn bastard, why did you stop?" I lifted my head off of his back and instantly saw why he had stopped. It was a jail cell, bars separating the room in half. On the other half wasn't one monster, but tons of them. They were all different. Some were the ones with huge heads and small bodies. Some were the big buff ones similar to the one I fought with Spain, Veneziano, and the potato bastard earlier. There was one big dark-colored one. There were even 2 or 3 that looked like a bunch of flying squids.

"Holy shit!" I squeaked out.

"Ohon~ Should we get you a room?" I looked over my shoulder to see France and Prussia, smirking down at me, Spain, and the admittedly suggestive position we were in. I flushed and all but flew off of the tomato bastard, using his head (ha!) to hoist myself up and off of him.

"Ouch! My nose!" Spain whined, also getting up. "Lovi, that hurt."

"It's your fault for making us fall over!" I yelled, sounding a little too shrill for my liking. I turned to yell at the other two bastards in the room, but they weren't looking at me anymore. They had spotted the monsters as well.

"Ugh! What the hell is this place?!" Prussia asked no one in particular. I could see the others walking in from over his shoulder.

"There are so many..." China breathed. We all eyed the monsters. They didn't seem to notice us, except the dark-colored one. It stared at us, but its eyes looked… different than what I have seen before. I can't put my finger on it. The first word that came to mind is that it looked… smart.

"L-let's just go ahead. They won't come out of the cell... I think." Veneziano said, though he didn't sound too sure of himself.

"R-right. Besides, with so many enemies, we would be—" Japan stopped himself from continuing and shook his head. "No, I'd rather not think about that." He walked past us and headed down to the other side of the room, toward another door. A few of the nations followed.

"Ve, big bro, are you okay? You're very red." Veneziano poked my (hot) cheek curiously. I slapped his hand away.

"Shut up! It's all your fault!" I snapped. Blaming my brother had become a reflex.

"Ehh?! What did I do?" Veneziano fretted. I growled.

"Y-you don't have to know what you did for it to be your fault!" I shoved past my very confused little brother and stomped towards the door. Thankfully, he didn't ask me about it again once we came to the next room. It was just as creepy as the moon puzzle room. It had bloody numbers everywhere, so many that there was barely any white showing on the walls anymore.

"Ugh... This room is also quite—" Japan began, but my brother cut right through his sentence.

"Behind that thing! The key is on that wall!" He pointed to the corner. There was a huge slug-like blob sitting there, with multiple eyes all over its body. All of said eyes were looking at us, but it just… sat there.

"Isn't it going to... attack us?" Russia asked.

"It will if we get close to it, but it's incredibly slow. We can get away from it by just walking." Veneziano started for the glob. " I'll go get it."

"Hey! You're going by yourself again!" Germany called out to him, but he didn't stop. He paused just a little away from the monster. It began to slowly move toward him. I eyed the wall, knowing well where the key was supposed to be. The monster just needed to move a little more aaaand…

"What...?" Veneziano breathed out my exact thoughts. Staring back at us was just a blank wall.

"H-hey, Italy! There's no key!" France pointed out the obvious.

"Oh, God... Why?! It was always—It was always there before!" Veneziano started to hyperventilate. "I'm sure... this is the right place... Wh-what am I going to do...?" The idiot was so freaked-out, he didn't notice the monster coming closer.

"Italy!" America yelled to warn him, but he didn't listen. Russia stepped forward and summoned some ice to force the monster back. It didn't do much damage.

"This isn't going well…" France pulled out his sword. I pulled my own gun from my back.

"Tsk! I really need to get my magic back." England complained. I looked to see him try to summon some magic, but it ended up fizzling.

"W-we were too late…" Japan murmured sadly. I turned back to see my brother was _still fucking standing there_.

"Veneziano, go back!" I shouted, lifting my gun to fire some shots at the glob. It barely did anything.

"Wh-what am I going to do? Did I... do something wrong? The key... there's no key..." My brother kept muttering to himself. He was losing it.

"Italy! Get out of the way!" Germany shouted. There was a sudden rumble somewhere around the room.

"Wh-what is it this time?!" Prussia looked around frantically. I did so as well. I did a double-take of the ceiling. There was a huge dark circle shimmering on the ceiling.

"Up there!" I said, too late. As soon as I said that, a dozen different monsters dropped from the hole and came at us.

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**I love the teasing in this chapter. Hmmm~ It's the start of many~**

**Rate and Review~**


	13. Operation Locate Ita pt 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

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"What?! Again?!"

"Oh, no. They keep coming!"

"It never ends!"

"There are too many! We can't run past them!"

It felt like we were fighting a never-ending swarm. Since the first dozen dropped down from the ceiling, we have been fighting endlessly. At one point, we had to start fighting one monster each. There were a lot of close calls and we were running out of extra supplies and energy. We tried to break away from our battles to help one another, but more just kept dropping down and attacking.

I was currently fighting one of those flying squid things, which turned out to be slow but hit hard with every single arm. I winced when one smacked my arm and shot at it with all I had. I managed to push it back enough to look around. My heart sank. We were losing, slowly but surely. France was pulling double, fighting a monster while running to heal some of the others. Japan was fighting the dark-colored monster, which was fighting back with crazy-strong power. Spain and England were all over the place, almost blurs. Veneziano, who had thankfully snapped out of his psychotic break, was trying to heal Germany while Germany was still fighting.

"N-no... I don't want to go back again! Not when we've made it so far! No!" he was crying, tears streaming down his face.

"Italy!" Japan shouted between swings of his sword.

"Let's at least surround Italy! They're all going after him!" China suggested. I turned to shoot at the squid to buy me time to run to my brother's side, but as soon as I turned, another of those big-headed ones ran at me. I groaned and fought it off as I moved to get closer to Veneziano.

"Oh, come on! Italy, just get down!" France was saying desperately.

"Make me—make me disappear somewhere!" Veneziano suddenly shouted. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glow. I peeked to see something in his hands starting to light up. It looked like… the journal. Fuck!

"Veneziano!" I tried to break away from my fight to reach him.

"Italy's journal!" Japan also noticed and tried to break away. America, fighting not too far from Japan, managed to finish his monster off and ran for it.

"Italy!" Germany, the closest to him, snapped his whip at a monster and managed to break away from his fight.

"G-Germany! My journal!"

"Let go of it, Italy! The journal—Ah, dammit! You always do this!" I didn't see if Germany or America made it. The light grew brighter and blinded me. When it finally died down, I didn't have a chance to look. The fighting began again right away.

**X-X-X**

"You take care of that one! We'll take care of these two!" The fighting seemed easier this time. The monsters went down in numbers and it seems the dark hole in the ceiling disappeared too. We were finally able to fight together.

"Japan! Are you all right?!" I asked the Asian nation as he clutched his arm. We had somehow ended up fighting the same huge giant. Off in other spots, the infamous Bad Touch Trio fought a few feet from us, and the others fought somewhere behind me. I could hear China shouting something.

"I'm fine, no problem." Japan assured me. The nerd couldn't fool me, but there was no time to argue. We took turns hammering at it. In return, it took a few swipes at us. Even took a piece off my shirt. Damn, but at least it didn't tear off my arm or anything. I could see Japan trying to use his special skills, but the monster kept coming at him before he could finish.

"Jump, Japan! I'll distract it for you!" I offered. Japan smiled in relief and nodded.

"Thank you!" He quickly said before bounding into the air and reaching the ceiling like the fucking ninja he is. Freaking maniac. The monster was confused, looking up and around, but also glaring at me. I smirked and began shuffling backwards, gesturing for it to come at me.

"C'mon, you bastard, your trophy is over here!" I goaded. The thing growled at me and started to stalk forward. I glanced up and saw Japan was already aiming his sword at the back of its head and building up energy. I readied my own gun and aimed at its forehead. "... Arrivederci." I shot the light bullets at the same time that Japan sent his curse at the thing. It shot me one last glare before disappearing. Japan landed and bowed his head.

"Well done, Romano!" He praised. I couldn't keep from smiling a little.

"LOVIII!" Spain barreled into me and almost knocked me over in a hug. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt anywhere?!" He leaned back and started lifting and waving my arms and spinning me around to check me for wounds.

"Dammit, cut it out!" I smacked him away. "I'm fine! A few scratches, but—"

"Oh thank God!" He pulled me into another hug. "I was so worried! I saw you fighting those big things and it looked like they really hurt you and… ahh I'm so happy that you're safe." He sighed in relief. I frowned. He was really that worried? About me? A small part of me felt flattered, but the bigger part of me thought it was a huge idiot.

"Y-yeah, well, I'm alright. Now l-let go of me. You're getting blood on my shirt." I tried shoving him away, but then I fully processed what I just said. "Y-you're bleeding!" I forcefully pushed him away and stared at the dark still-wet stain at his side, right underneath a huge claw mark in his shirt. It was still fucking spreading, too!

"Ah? Oh, it's nothing, Lovi." He cheerfully responded, then tried to pull me into another hug. I shoved him away again and poked the wet area lightly. I felt him inhale sharply and saw him swallow a pained groan, eyes squeezing shut for a moment before he looked at me again. "S-see? Fine." He almost whimpered.

"You are not fine, you jackass! And you're standing here worrying about ME?! France!" I shouted for the wine bastard, who was leaning against the wall with Prussia. "Can you heal anymore?"

"Ah, sorry, my little Romano." He sighed out. "I'm beat. I have no energy for anything." I growled. Oh well, maybe I can ask Veneziano later. I looked around and saw that the others have finished their battles as well.

"Thank God... Somehow, we managed to swipe them clean..." Japan sighed. He has been really quiet this entire time. He's always really quiet. I half wondered how he became friends with someone as loud and obnoxious as my brother and Germany.

"Italy's journal made a lot of them disappear, and yet that was still tough." England let out a chuckle. "Well done, Italy—" He stopped short and looked around. I stared at the groups joining us. Russia had paired up with Canada and England with China, but I didn't see my brother anywhere.

"Veneziano?" I began to panic. I felt hands on my arms trying to keep me calm.

"Italy? Hey, he's... he's gone... isn't he?" Russia frowned. Prussia gasped.

"West is gone, too!"

"And… America… too." Canada and England exchanged a worried glance.

"So... Ita, Germany, and America are gone...? They're the ones who were close to the journal, aren't they?" Spain asked from behind me. I nodded. America and Germany were running for Veneziano when the journal flashed.

"There were so many enemies that I didn't even notice." Japan looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry... We were supposed to run away the moment we secured an exit." France reached over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Do you think they're... gone? Because of the journal..." China wondered.

"Gone... as in... dead?" My breath hitched and I wanted to punch France for that suggestion. Fuck, that can't happen! I can't think like that! If my brother were to die… N-no! Like hell I'd let that happen!

"That's impossible! I'll look for them!" Prussia exclaimed, mirroring my thoughts. "But... I don't know where to start..." Well, that was anticlimactic. A loud ring broke the silence. I almost turned to punch Spain in the face for his stupid phone. This time, though, it wasn't his.

"Oh, it's your phone, Japan." Japan started patting his pockets and took out a small black cell phone.

"Indeed. Please excuse me for a bit." Japan flipped his phone open and walked away to talk. The speaker was loud enough to hear, if you paid attention. China wandered off as well. It must've been someone he knew too.

"Roma." The hands on my arms shook me a little. Figures they were Spain's. I shook them off.

"What?"

"Feli is fine, don't worry." He walked around to face me, giving me a small smile.

"Hmph. How do you know?" I pouted. Damn bastard, reading my mind. He better not be talking out of his ass, though. I don't think I could handle any lies or sugar-coating.

"Because, if you're okay and not hurting at all, then he's okay no matter where he is." He chirped. I blinked. I had almost forgotten about the connection. So, DID that mean that Veneziano was okay? I mean, I haven't exactly been getting anything from him since we got here. No memories, no pain. Nothing new at all. Was it because we were in the same place? Did the connection break somehow? I looked down to think, but got distracted by the bastard's wound. It made me feel a little sick.

"Ugh, fuck. England." I turned to look for him. He was standing nearby China and Japan and looked up at his name. "Do you have some kind of healing magic?"

"No, sorry, but I have the first aid kit from the safe room. There isn't very much in there." I gestured for him to hand it over. He pulled out the white box and handed it to me. I opened it up. There was some gauze, small bandages, a cloth, and less than half a bottle of rubbing alcohol. It should be enough. I pulled out the cloth and rubbing alcohol.

"Alright. Take off your shirt, bastard." I ordered, pouring the liquid onto the cloth. When I looked up, Spain was staring at me, shocked. I felt myself turn red. "Wh-what?! Do you want me to treat your wound through the huge hole in your clothes? A-at least lift it up!" He stared at me a little longer before sighing and nodding. He untucked and lifted his shirt just enough for me to see the gash. I hissed. It looked really deep.

"Che cazzo! What are you worrying about me for, stronzo?! Do you fucking see this?!" I ranted at him, swearing under my breath in Italian while I drenched the rag.

"Ahaha, I don't need to see it. I feel it already." He laughed weakly. I scowled at him and all but shoved the cloth against his gash. "AY!" He yelped, pressing his lips together to mute his cries.

"You're so stupid. Worry about yourself for a change, you jerk, so I don't have to." I grumbled.

"You're worried about me? Aw, Lovi, that makes me so happy!" He beamed, his stomach moving as he laughed in delight, the weirdo. I moved the rag so he'd stop. "Ouch! Ah, but I don't want to worry about myself. I care more about the safety of my friends. Feli and France and you, of co—"

"I can take care of myself. Now, hold this." I took the rag off and held the end of the gauze roll to his wound. He replaced my hand and I started wrapping the bandaging around his stomach.

"I know you can, Lovi." He pouted, moving his hand when the gauze held itself on his body.

"Annexe?!" England suddenly exclaimed. I looked over to see everyone involved in the phone conversation Japan got.

"You really didn't notice? Then again, we just realized it ourselves—" I heard Austria's voice through the phone. Oh, Austria called Japan? I wonder why he didn't call me or Spain.

"An annexe... Hey, what does that mean, rich boy?! If it's true..." Prussia was saying.

"Yep, we need to find a door." Russia noted.

"That house is quite vast." Austria warned. A growl was heard through the line. "Oops... Excuse me, we must go for now. We have some urgent business to attend to."

"Well, then, I'll hang up!" Another voice spoke. I didn't recognize it, though. Must be one of the other Eastern countries. "Bro, Japan!" Japan looked startled by the yell.

"Y-yes?"

"Show 'em what Asia is made of!" Japan and China smiled and chuckled.

"That goes without saying. You, too, try not to kick the bucket." China told the strange nation on the other line.

"Thanks, bro! Bye!" There was a click and then the dial tone. Japan closed his phone and put it away.

"He's such an interesting character. May they also have a successful battle." He mused. I looked back at what I was doing and saw that the gauze was wrapped around the wound a little haphazardly. Eh, he'll live. I cut the cloth and pulled a pin out of the first aid box to hold the gauze in place.

"All right, let's look for the annexe door now! Maybe that's where Ita and the others wound up!" Spain smiled and lowered his shirt when he saw that I was done. "There's still hope!" For once, his words actually stirred up some excitement, in me and the other people in the room.

"Yeah! We'll definitely find them!" I nodded confidently. Just wait, Veneziano. I'll find you soon.

"Indeed. Let's split up to look for them." Japan ordered.

**X-X-X**

"So, why on Earth are you two in my group, again?" Japan raised an eyebrow at our weird group, consisting of me, Japan, and Prussia. I made a face. I didn't particularly want to be a part of this, but Spain was already getting clingy (more so than usual). I would've never been able to find my brother if the bastard kept distracting me. Plus, the thought of being alone with him gave me chills and made me feel as though I swallowed a rock. Must be the way France was staring at me. So I had to pick someone more sane to go with. Japan was the only one who fit the bill, since he was the only one who wasn't bat-shit crazy.

Unfortunately, for some reason, Prussia decided to join us. When I asked, he said he wanted to keep an eye on me so he can tell when Veneziano was in danger. I yelled at him that I wasn't just some warning sign, but he ignored me. Damn bastard, i-is that all I'm good for?

"C'mon, it'll be fun! There's nothing wrong with working with some new faces once in a while! We'll be the Little Brother Search Party!" Prussia declared. I huffed.

"I do feel kinda... out of place... but whatever." I shrugged and glared at the potato eater for his stupid suggestion. "And we're definitely_ not_ using that name."

"But then, wouldn't it have made more sense for you to go with England instead of—" Japan suggested, then sighed and shook his head. "Oh, never mind. Shall we go, then? It won't be a problem if we end up on the same floor as the others." We nodded and left the creepy room. We ended up back in the Hall of Ugly Grey Things. They seemed to have all spawned back in the cell. I snarled under my breath. All that work to kill them and the bastards don't even die.

"Remember, we have to find someone out of the ordinary in the walls. Look for anything that stands out." Japan said. We nodded and rushed out of the room and down to the fourth floor. England and Spain were standing there, talking amongst themselves. They spotted us and waved (well, Spain waved. England just gave a curt nod.)

"Leave the fourth floor to us. You go downstairs." England ordered.

"Hai." Japan agreed and he and Prussia headed to the third floor. I hung back and looked at Spain seriously.

"When you get back to the safe room, you get France or Veneziano to heal you, capito?"

"Si, I got it, Lovi!" He grinned, looking too cheery. How is he so damn cheery all the time? D-damn, it's even affecting me. Look away, dammit, look away!

"…if you find Veneziano first, take care of him." I said firmly to the floor before running off to catch up with Japan and Prussia. They were chatting with Canada on the third floor when I caught them. Japan was polite enough not to ask, but Prussia was an asshole enough to grumble about how slow I was under his breath. He shut up once I aimed a kick at his chimes. We walked past a few groups, who assured us they have the area covered. We ended up on the first floor.

"Let's check out the first floor rather than the basement. If there's a door, we'll investigate the wall around it." Prussia suggested. We nodded and began feeling at the walls and surrounding floor. We checked the kitchen, but all there was was moldy food. The walls in the hallways were normal. We followed the walls all the way to some Japanese-style room, with sliding screen doors and flowery decorations.

We looked behind the screens, under the carpets. Nothing. I started knocking on the wall while Japan and Prussia started to wander off into the next part of the room. _Knock knock knock_. I froze, staring at the wall I just knocked on. "Hm?"

"What's wrong, Romano?" Japan walked over when he noticed that I wasn't moving. Prussia looked up from the box he was looking into.

"It sounded different when I knocked here." I told him. Prussia walked over and I knocked on the wall again. It made a hollow _knock_ing sound. Then, I knocked on the wall next to it, which sounded dull and muted.

"Oh, indeed." Japan nodded.

"It's not solid. There's clearly something here." Prussia knocked on the wall again. "Why don't we tear the wallpaper off?"

"We can't do it with our bare hands. If only we had something to cut it with..." Japan trailed off. I eyed the wallpaper and frowned.

"Don't you have anything like a shard? Glass, for example... or something like that." I offered. Japan blinked and rummaged around in his pockets.

"Oh, now that you mention it, I found this broken plate piece." He pulled out a crescent-shaped white shard. "Will it do?"

"Oh! I think so. Let me see. I'll give it a try." Prussia took the shard and used one of the sharper ends to cut at the wallpaper. Once he made a big enough hole, he used his hand to tear it apart. Japan and I helped him until it was all gone and littering the floor.

"A door." I murmured. In front of us was a wooden door, a little older-looking than the rest of the house.

"You did well in noticing that it sounded different." Japan praised. "There was also a door like this in the basement. Is this... the entrance to the annexe we heard of?"

"This is where Veneziano is... right?" I bit my lip as I looked at the door. The rest of the house has been searched. If he isn't here…

"Yes, definitely. And your brother, too, of course." Japan assured. I turned red and Prussia began spluttering.

"Huh?! Wh-whatever! I'm not worried about him at all!"

"Me neither, you bastard! I-I-I'm not worried about my stupid little brother at all—" I began defending myself.

"Yes, yes. Don't let your guard down. You're too nervous" He chuckled, amused. I huffed through my nose and eyed the door. Veneziano _had_ to be in there. If he wasn't… then where did he disappear to? The ghost of the pain in my arms stung faintly. It was the places Veneziano got hurt the most, when he used his arms to protect himself and others. I grabbed them gently, a reflex now.

"_D-damn, stupid bastard, get back here. I didn't come all the way here to let you die again."_

**X-X-X**

Well, apparently, we didn't have to worry for long. Not only did the fuckers show up, they appeared out of nowhere a few feet away from us only about a minute after we found the damn door. Nearly scared the crap out of me.

"Whoa! A-America?!" Japan stared at America, who didn't look like he heard him.

"West! What the hell, you really came back!" Prussia ran over and gave his brother a hug. The potato bastard didn't look so great, but Veneziano looked a little worse. I ran over to him.

"Are you hurt, Veneziano?!" I asked, lifting his arms and checking him for wounds. Kind of reminded me of how Spain was checking me earlier. Veneziano didn't look hurt physically, but he looked ready to cry.

"America!" he cried, looking at him (the fuck, he's totally ignoring me!). I looked at America as well. His hands were fists and he looked ready to explode.

"America…" Germany reached out to put a hand on America's shoulder.

"SHIIIT!" America screamed, turned, and punched the wall next to him. We all jumped in surprise. "He's fucking kidding me!" He began to cry a little. I looked at Germany and Veneziano for an explanation.

"Japan, I remembered a few more things." My brother began (stop ignoring me, you asshole!).

"Y-yes?" Japan broke out of his frozen stance to look at my brother. He took a deep breath.

"There was someone else who could make time go back." We all looked at Veneziano in surprise.

"What, really?!" Prussia exclaimed.

"Who?" I prodded my brother for more. However, judging by America's reaction and Germany and Veneziano's pitying expressions, I could already guess.

"It's England." Veneziano answered. "It was him."

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**Translations:**

**che cazzo: what the fuck**

**stronzo: asshole**

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	14. An Even Spookier Basement

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**I've recently found a song that goes perfectly with this fic. It's called Not Alone by Red. I can see Romano and Spain singing it in a duet, personally.**

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I've never felt any pity toward America in the past. I never had a reason to. He was always a happy, daring, and really stupid nation who took every risk in the book and never regretted a thing. He's been that way as long as I have known him. There was never a reason to pity him because he brought everything on himself. Now, here I was, watching him slowly break down and punch his fists raw against the wall, because of the death of someone he cared about.

I could understand his reaction, too. The anger and pain he was feeling about England was similar to how I felt when I heard about what Veneziano has been doing. I wanted to punch a wall, too, but I knew from the beginning that I didn't have the time to get angry or get upset. I had to help my brother, and keep him and the tomato bastard from getting killed. It would be nice if they didn't make it so fucking difficult for me. Then again, I guess England wasn't any better than the two of them.

"You're fucking kidding me!" America was crying between punches. "What good is stopping it if you're dead?!"

"America! Stop punching the wall! You're bleeding!" Japan begged. We had been standing by, watching America make holes in the foundation, and generally feeling sorry for him. Veneziano looked especially shaken.

"America..." He reached out to grab America's arm before he punched the wall. Blood trickled from his knuckles and between Veneziano's fingers. America slowly began to calm down, his breathing slowing and allowing his hands to drop down to his sides.

"Sorry…" He murmured. Veneziano patted his shoulder as the blonde turned to face us. His eyes and face was red from crying. "I'm back."

"Yes, it's good to see you. I'm glad you came back safely." Japan smiled, then looked around from Germany to Italy and back to America. "Where on Earth have you been?"

"We wound up in the past. And then I, er... died—I mean, found the journal and... wait, no. Um..." Veneziano stammered, holding his head like he had a headache. I eyed him. He was acting like more of a ditz than when he lost his memories.

"What's wrong? Are you confused?" Prussia patted/smacked my brother on the back. "Why don't you have some rest, then?"

"And what's this door? What happened?" Germany stared at the wooden door to the annexe.

"It's the (alleged) entrance to the annexe." I told him quickly. I was starting to get really impatient. "If you want details, ask the guys upstairs. We're going in now."

"Annex—What? What are you talking about?" Veneziano looked at the door suspiciously before turning to us in despair. "And you can't go just the three of you alone! We're coming with—"

"No, leave this to us. We'll be fine." Japan assured him. "We're only going to take a quick look around and then come back. And it should definitely have a dead end. Besides..." He hesitated for a moment before leaning in close to my brother. "We can talk about going back in time and such later. We won't go back in time any more, anyway. Our first priority now is to investigate." Veneziano bit his lip and looked around. He caught my eye and I gave him a reassuring nod. He sighed and turned back to Japan.

"All right. Then, in the meantime, I'll be sorting out my head." He reached over and patted America on the shoulder. He snapped out of some trance he was going into and looked at Veneziano in shock. "Let's go, America. You want to see England, don't you?" America pressed his lips together and shrugged a shoulder.

"He's on the fourth floor." Prussia told them, then gestured to his brother. "West, walk them there and then come back. Italy, you stay with America." Potato Man #1 nodded.

"Understood. Let's go." He started walking out to the main hall. Before my brother followed, I gestured him over. He came closer curiously.

"Veneziano, do me a favor and heal Spain when you see him." I murmured. He blinked and frowned worriedly.

"Spain? Why? What happened?"

"It's a long story. Just do it. If he refuses, do it anyway, unless France healed him already." He nodded along to my instructions before smiling softly. "What are you smiling about?"

"It's really cute how much you worry about big brother Spain." He cooed. I turned red and shoved him.

"Chigii! I am not cute! Just shut up and go!" Veneziano shrugged and held his hand out for America. America slowly slid his hand into my brother's and was led upstairs.

"The past, huh" Prussia murmured. "If he's like that... does that mean England got killed?"

"That must be it. But Italy will give him some advice." Japan said confidently. I nodded to myself, having no doubts for once that my brother can handle this. For everyone's sake, I hope America had the brain cells to actually _listen _to his advice. "And we'll go ahead. Carefully, though." I stepped closer to the door and slowly opened it, peeking in. It was really dark, but the light from a corridor made the first few feet in visible.

"This door, er, it looks like it's a hidden staircase. And it goes down, but... it's really narrow..." I reported, opening the door wider. Prussia and Japan looked in as well.

"So narrow that only one person can go at a time." Japan sighed and leaned back, taking off his jacket and tying it around his waist. "I'll go first, then. Do you have a light?"

"Will the lighter I found earlier do?" Prussia pulled out a small black lighter from his pocket. "Be careful when you go." He warned as he handed over the lighter. Japan nodded and slowly stepped through the doorway. His footsteps echoed as he descended down the spiral staircase, the light from the lighter following him down. Very slowly, he and his lighter disappeared into the darkness. Prussia and I stood by, waiting and crossing our fingers that no surprises awaited our fellow nation or us.

"It's all right. I got all the way down." Japan announced, his voice slightly faint. I let out the breath I was holding in relief.

"All right, we're coming, too." Prussia called. Then he turned toward me. We glared at each other. Now came the next decision: who was going second? I smirked and gestured toward the door.

"Age before beauty." I stated. He narrowed his eyes.

"Ladies first." He mocked me, waving his hand as well. I scowled.

"Fuck you. If anyone is the chick here, it's you."

"I bet Spain would beg to differ."

"What does Spain have to do with this?"

"Oh nothing." He shrugged. "Just that I've known Spain for centuries longer than you have and I know how much he liked cute, dainty things." He looked me up and down tauntingly. I gritted my teeth.

"Well, that must be why you two are still friends!"

"Look, you brat, you still owe me for saving your ass earlier."

"I don't owe you shit!"

"You wanna go, tomato freak?! I don't care if you're Italy's family, I can kick your ass right down those stairs!"

"Not if I kick yours first, wurst sucker!" We stood toe to toe, trying to look bigger than the other. Almost as if by cue, we turned and tried to go through the doorway. Because of how narrow it was, we ended up almost getting stuck shoulder to shoulder.

"Alright, stop!" Prussia managed to get unstuck and held up his hands in defeat. I leaned back against the doorframe and tried to catch my breath.

"Everything okay up there?" I heard Japan call.

"Yeah. We'll be down in a moment." I called back. Prussia and I looked at each other, his face unreadable. Finally, he sighed.

"Look, let's just call a truce and get this over with so we can get back to the safe room." I nodded.

"Fine by me. We both have family we have to check on." We looked at the narrow passage.

"Wanna play Janken for it?" Prussia suggested. I eyed him.

"The fuck is Janken?"

**X-X-X**

So we played Janken, which is apparently just a Japanese variation of La Morra, a game where you throw 1 of 3 hand signs to try to dominate whatever hand sign your opponent throws. Each sign has an opposite and throwing the same one results in a tie. I managed to lose, which meant that I had to go next. I said a silent prayer in my head before slowly stepping down into the darkness. I kept my hands on the walls and railing, careful not to slip and fall.

It felt like a million steps, but eventually, I made it to the last few steps. I looked around the room. It looked… creepy. Not as creepy as the blood clock, but it gave me the same uneasy feeling as the entire mansion. It felt like something was following me. At the foot of the stairs waited Japan. Relief crossed his face when he saw me.

"Thank goodness, I was getting worried." He walked over. I held up a finger for him to wait a moment before I turned around and shouted upstairs.

"Hey! Potato bastard, I made it down! Get your ass down here!" He didn't reply, but moments later, I felt footsteps vibrating against the stairs. I turned back to Japan. "Sorry to make you wait."

"It's okay. What happened?" I gave Japan the edited story, that Prussia and I fought over who was going first, then we both tried going at the same time, then playing Janken over who goes.

"I ended up losing the game and going down before him." I shrugged my shoulders. Japan sighed, amused but exasperated.

"That sounds like quite the ordeal. I am just happy that you managed to solve it like mature adults." He said.

"Hey, brat. How about saying 'please' next time?" the albino potato grumbled as he walked closer to us.

"That would imply that I gave a damn about being polite toward you." I snapped.

"Mein gott, can you believe this kid, Japan?"

"Kid?!"

"Please, both of you." Japan spoke over us, making me and Prussia shut up. "Let us finish investigating so we can report back to the others." We grumbled, but agreed and began wandering around. The whole place was freezing as usual. I had noticed that Japan put his jacket back on. I rubbed at the goosebumps on my arms and looked around. Everything looked smoky, like the whole room is going to disappear. Otherwise, the place looked like an unfinished basement. We were about to leave the room and continue on, but something sparkly caught my eye. I looked and saw a little ball of light floating in the corner.

I blinked and stared at it. It just floated there, not doing anything, but I felt a strange urge to touch it. It looked a lot like the light in my dream, but also… not. It had a different feel to it. I slowly walked over to it, on my toes for anything suspicious. I kneeled and stared at it. It still didn't move, but it seemed to notice me. The light faded and strengthened on and off. Being next to it felt like being beside a warm but dying fire. I reached forward and cupped it gently.

As soon as I felt it, my heart dropped into my stomach. It definitely wasn't the same as my dream. The light there made me feel warm, safe, and happy, even if it did end up being the tomato bastard's hand. This light made me feel warm, but it also made me feel like crying. It seemed so sad, so lonely. My thumb ghosted over it. I don't know why, but I wanted to comfort it so bad, but I knew deep down that I couldn't. I recall feeling that way before, but I don't know when. I wonder if I even cared.

"Romano?" I jumped up and turned at the sudden sound of my name. Japan and Prussia stood nearby the doorway to the next hallway. When they saw my expression, their own faces twisted in concern and they walked over. "Are you okay? You're pale."

"What is that?" Prussia eyed the light in my hand.

"Um… I—I don't know." I murmured, feeling a little dazed. How much time had passed? "I found it in the corner."

"May I?" Japan held his hands out, shaping them the same way I have mine. I hesitated before slowly slipping the light into his hands. His face slowly softened as he looked at the light. He frowned gently.

"Japan?" Prussia put his hand on the man's shoulder. Japan shook his head.

"I'm alright. This little thing is harmless, just has an emotional effect. We should bring it along, just in case it can be of some use." He slipped off the bag he had been carrying and started to put the light into it.

"Ah, w—wait." Japan paused and looked up at me curiously. "Can… can I hold onto it?" I felt myself turn red, but I didn't care as much. I don't know what was going on, but I felt like I should hold it and keep it close, keep it safe.

"Dude, you okay? You're crying." Prussia eyed me in concern. I put my hand to my cheek and felt that it was wet. I rubbed at my eyes.

"Shut up, I'm fine!" I defended.

"Romano, I think it would be best to keep this safe in my bag and out of our way. You would be better off using both hands while we're in unknown territory." Japan told me calmly. I took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. I was being stupid. That light would only be a distraction. Japan put the light into his bag and zipped it up, leaving a little hole in case it needed air. Once that was done, we headed into the next room. It looked like a small study.

"You sure you're okay? You can go back to the safe room if you want." Prussia suggested. I glared at him, unsure if he was really concerned or if he just really wanted me gone.

"I'm fine, god dammit. I'm not made of glass, I can take care of myself." I stalked ahead of him.

"Hm?" Japan hummed a few feet away. I looked over to see him holding another ball of light.

"Did it escape?" I wondered.

"No, this is another of the same kind. Strange. I wonder how many there are." He opened his bag and slipped the second light in. I could faintly see the light from the first one.

"Here's another." Prussia called from the other side of the room. He got up from under the table holding the light, frowning at it with a small tear streaming down his face. Damn, is that how I looked earlier? Japan reached over and grabbed it from him to put it in his bag. We left the room and went to the next one. It looked like a wider version of the library on the third floor. We found another light behind a bookshelf, but otherwise, there wasn't anything interesting.

We went into the next room, which looked more like a private room in the back of a library. It had a big table and a small collection of bookcases along the wall. Next to one of them was another light. I gently picked it up. It felt nice in my cold hands, but it still made me want to comfort it, to cry for it. I managed to resist... I hope.

"This is a dead end. So, what the hell are these sparkling things we've been finding on the floor?" Prussia eyed the light.

"They don't look very harmful. See, we can even touch them." Japan reached out and grazed the light with his finger. It trembled a little. I frowned when he slowly cupped it out of my hands.

"Wait, is that really safe? I mean, haven't you picked up too many of those now?" I eyed Japan's expression. I've held those things 3 times now and the sad feeling just increased. Prussia refuses to touch them after the first time. Japan, however, doesn't look any different than normal. Only his eyes displayed any kind of emotion. They were softer than normal. It scared me a little. No matter how much I trust the nation, I never know what he is thinking.

"They feel very warm. What could they be? They also feel so sad. Should we keep them?" He mused to himself. I pursed my lips as I thought of his questions.

"Well—"

"Be quiet!" Prussia hissed suddenly, head tilted toward the door. Japan and I froze and listened. It wasn't long until I heard it: deep breaths and creaking floorboards. A chill went down my back.

"I knew it would come after us." Japan murmured. I saw him put the light in his bag and slowly pull his sword out. I reached back and detached the gun from my back. Prussia drew his own sword. The knob slowly turned and the door swung open. I made a face at the fact that we didn't lock the door. In the doorway stood the thing; big head, little body, cold and evil eyes, huge claws. It looked down at us blankly.

"It's here." I breathed, instinctively taking a step back. When I did, it snarled, flashing its fangs.

"You guys stand back! I can take care of this giant thing on my own!" Prussia ordered. He let out a cry as he swung his sword, aiming at the monster's neck. It hit its arm instead. _Snap!_ The sickening sound echoed in the room as the part where the sword made contact split and over half of his sword fell off. Prussia stumbled back from the force and looked at his sword in horror.

"Oh." Japan let out a sound, staring at the broken sword. Cold, hard fear ran through me. Holy shit, we were doomed.

"Wait—I-it broke! My awesome sword broke!" Prussia cried in despair. Oh sure, care more about your sword than our lives.

"A-all right! Then I'll—" I lifted my gun and pulled the trigger, but all I heard was the clicking sound. I pulled it again and again, but nothing came out. "What? The bullets won't come out, dammit!" I pulled more desperately, now really starting to panic. FuckfuckfuckFUCK!

"Look out! In front of you—" I managed to jump back right into the table to avoid the claw that just swiped at me. "Oh, good grief! Just stand back, you two! I will—" Japan started forward, but the monster turned on him and swiped at him. Instinctively, I threw my arm out to get between the claw and Japan.

"W-watch out!" We both managed to get away from the thing. It growled at our evasion. "What the hell, it got absurdly fast!" I huffed and looked at my arm. The sleeve was ripped where the claw had managed to catch it and my arm began to sting a little. "And it tore my clothes a little, the fucking bastard!"

"M-my... my awesome sword! MY SWOOORD!" Prussia bellowed, dropping to his knees _right in front of the damn thing_.

"Excuse me! You're in the way!" Japan darted forward and pulled Prussia away. "You're going to get hit!" Suddenly, the monster kicked Japan in the side. "Aaargh!" he fell over.

"Japan!" I started running over, but the monster noticed me and raised a huge claw at me. I let out a (very manly) shriek and raised my arms to protect myself. If it made contact, I didn't feel it. Instead, I was very much blinded by a huge white flash and felt as if I was being sucked through a tube.

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	15. I Can Fix That

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

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"I keep telling you, Feli, I'm alright." I sighed, amused but a little exasperated with the younger Italian fussing over me. I had ruefully let him heal my side when he insisted, but now he was as stubborn about my injuries as Lovi was. Ah, Lovi. Feli told me that he was checking up on me under his brother's orders. It was sweet that he was still worried about me.

"Are you sure, big brother Spain? You're not hiding any more injuries? Your arm isn't bothering you, right?" Feli frowned, circling me like a human vulture.

"I'm very sure, Feli." I faked a smile for him, hiding my annoyance. He eyed me cautiously before smiling back.

"Just making sure. If it turns out you have more injuries, Lovi will get angry at us both." He explained brightly. I laughed softly.

"True. You don't have to worry about a thing, Feli. Just get some rest. You've been through a bunch." I patted his shoulder. He and Germany, with America in tow, came up to the safe room about half an hour ago. The people on the second floor alerted the rest of us that they were back. When we all met up again, Germany told us where Lovi and the others were, that they had been teleported to the past by Feli's journal, and that the past England brought them back. England was quite impressed that he had accomplished such a feat. For some reason, America glared at him and grumbled some indistinguishable but pretty annoyed words under his breath. We had wondered what his problem was, but we figured it wasn't the right time to ask.

"I'm okay, big brother Spain. I'm not tired." Feli brightly said. I tilted my head at him.

"Don't you get tired of calling me that? It's a bit of a mouthful for a nickname." I wondered. Feli pulled a thoughtful face.

"A little, but what else could I call you? If I call you Spain, you might mistake me for my brother!" Not likely.

"Well, since I call you by your human name, how about you call me by MY human name?"

"Oh! That sounds like a good idea! Hmm… a nickname of… Antonio?"

"Si!"

"How about… Tonio?" Feli offered brightly. I grinned.

"That's perfect! Tonio it is!" Feli and I cheered and laughed. We could faintly hear the steel door to the safe room open. I looked, expecting to see Lovi, but instead came Germany and England, who had left to check on the annex group as well as something England had spotted/sensed on the fourth floor.

"Hey Germany! Where are the others?" Feli waved to his friend. Germany walked over, looking troubled.

"I didn't see them. The annex door was still open, but when I called down, they didn't answer. I wanted to go down after them, but England was on the fourth floor and I didn't want to go alone." He answered.

"They should've been back by now." I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Yeah. Should we go find them?" Feli wondered, looking as worried as I felt.

"No need!" England walked over, looking really smug. My eyebrow rose.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the reason I was up on the fourth floor was because I had a sense of familiarity while we was searching the place. Turns out, some of my magic energy was there." He explained, then pulled out something that looked like a ball of light from his pocket. "Almost all of my powers have returned, including my power of teleportation."

"You can teleport now?" Germany looked at him skeptically.

"Yes, and I can also teleport others from different places, as long as I am in the same area. It takes a bit of energy, but with any luck, I should be able to bring Japan, Prussia, and Romano here." The ball of light disappeared into England's hand as he spoke.

"Veh, that's amazing." Feli looked at him with huge eyes. "Can you do it now?"

"Of course, but I'll need a bit of time to make a magic circle." England went over to the empty area between the tables and the bathroom and began chanting under his breath.

"What's England doing?" We looked up to see America standing by the kitchen, staring at England with unreadable eyes. Feli immediately walked over to him, looking concerned. Whatever happened in the past really rattled them both. Feli had America practically glued to his side since they came back. Feli had promised to explain once everyone was together.

"Don't worry about it, America. He's going to do a bit of magic, but—"

"No! No magic!" America cut through Feli's sentence, starting towards England, who was still chanting. A white indent starting appearing at his feet, taking form of a circle with a bunch of weird symbols.

"America, please. He can handle it. This isn't the past, England isn't using all of his magic at once." Feli soothed the distressed nation. America pouted, but stopped fighting against him.

"All right, that should do it." I looked to see that England's circle was ready.

"Ah? That should do what?" Russia walked out of the bathroom, looking at the circle. A bit of movement from the kitchen showed me that China and France were moving closer to the scattered gathering curiously.

"I'm about to show all you wankers one of the reasons why, now, we can't lose against those blasted _things_." England told him confidently. I swallowed a scoff and coughed softly to cover up the sound my throat made.

"He's going to summon the people from the annex over to us." Germany explained to the surrounding people.

"Ah, really? How interesting. I would love to see this." Russia went over to the table and pulled up a chair.

"Aren't you using too much magic?" America asked, his voice hard. England looked at him strangely.

"With all the magic energy I've gathered, I should only be a little weary after this spell. Maybe not even weary at all." England shrugged. America's brows furrowed, but he gave him the smallest nod. England looked around to see if everyone was ready (or watching, I can't tell which) before chanting something different under his breath. It sounded like English, but it was too soft and fast for me to catch. Slowly, a light began to build up until it almost blinded me. I squinted my eyes against it. I thought I would have to turn my head away, but as quick as the light came, it was gone. In its place were 3 distinct figures. My heart fluttered when I recognized my henchman among them, then dropped when I saw the state he was in.

England must've plucked them out from wherever they were in the exact position they were in last. Japan was on the ground, curled up within himself as if he had been kicked in the stomach. Gilbert was on his knees, staring at his broken (!) sword with a wild and dazed look on his face. Lovi was also on his knees, hands raised as if to protect himself. One of his arms had the sleeve torn and bloody. Without thinking, I ran over and helped Lovi up. I saw Feli and Germany rush over to help Japan and Prussia as well.

"Japan?! Are you alright?" Feli cried. Japan blinked and looked around startled.

"What?!"

"Bruder, are you alright? Stand up." Germany hauled Gilbert to his feet. He, too, was looking around in shock. I helped Lovi to his feet, holding him steady as he blinked and swiveled his head around.

"Would you look at that! I actually did it!" England looked at the scene, impressed. France had run to his side, probably to help the three worn-out nations.

"Ooh, amazing. Even I'm impressed! Sorry for bringing you back all of a sudden. Were you in the middle of something~?" He asked, trying to keep his voice light, but he still sounded concerned.

"W-we're saved?!" Lovi breathed, looking relieved but confused. I held onto him, arms wrapped around him to keep him steady, but he didn't seem to notice. "Why all of a sudden—"

"Well, you see, when I was searching the fourth floor, I found some lumps of magic. I can only assume that my past self left them." England explained. "I don't know the details, but thanks to that, I got back a little more of my magic. Besides, Italy was worried that you wouldn't come back, and America is sulking about something."

"I'm _not_ sulking..." America protested with a huff, but England ignored him.

"He started saying he could finally show us a great feat and then teleported you just like that. It was amazing~" Russia complimented. England lit up with pride.

"Please, stop teleporting people! The people you teleported didn't give you their consent!" America suddenly snapped. We all stared at him in confusion.

"America, what's wrong with you?" Canada asked, standing nearby America (I hadn't noticed earlier.) "You haven't been yourself for a while now."

"America, why don't you have some rest?" Feli left Japan, who was able to stand upright, and walked over to America, smiling gently. "Oh, look! You've got blood on your clothes!" He pointed to America's sleeves. "Why don't you take a bath—"

"This is from when England came to use his magic to—" America began. England's head snapped up at the mention of his name, but America didn't get to finish what he was saying.

"Oh... Um, I-I see. When you grabbed him. He was bleeding a lot." Feli murmured. There was a long, loaded silence.

"What?" England finally spluttered out. Germany cleared his throat, looking uneasy and still holding his brother.

"Italy, go take a bath. It'll give you a nice change of mood." He suggested. Feli was quick to agree.

"Y-yeah, good idea. America, come with me. I'll use the shower on the other side. Let's calm down a little!" Feli said, putting an arm around America and leading him toward the bathroom.

"Fine." America muttered. They both disappeared into the bathroom. Germany turned toward us and looked at us apologetically.

"Sorry, he's gone through a lot. You'll have to excuse him—"

"That's what it looks like. Didn't you say you wound up in the past?" I tilted my head.

"Yes. Both Italy and England lost their lives. Frankly, it was a great blow for me and America." Germany admitted sadly. I nodded in understanding. So that's why America seemed so high-strung around England. And Feli dying… I glanced down at Lovi, who stood balanced by my arms. He must've felt the pain as well. With any luck, it was one of the times when I was with him. He told me there were a few, though I don't remember them.

"Huh. That feels so weird. Anyway, you look pretty worn-out, too." England looked at Germany seriously. "There are four bathrooms, so why don't you take a bath, too?"

"You're right. Excuse me, then. I'm a little... tired." Germany helped Gilbert to a chair, asked once more if he was alright, and trudged to the bathroom when he got a reasonable answer. He did look especially worn out.

"Anyway, you did well in teleporting us! We were in great danger! It was by a hair's breadth!" Japan smiled at England gratefully. Hearing that reminded me of my henchman. I leaned down to look him in the eyes. He seemed to snap out of his slight daze.

"Lovi, are you okay?"

"Wh—yes! I'm fine! N-now get away." He wriggled backward. I let him go and immediately had to grab him again when he stumbled.

"Careful!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, Romano, Prussia, you two alright? Sorry, the teleportation will cause a little jet lag." England said sheepishly. Gilbert nodded.

"Yeah, I feel dizzy whenever I move, but I'm as awesome as ever!" He flashed a grin. I could hear France chuckle and I couldn't help but let out a snicker, but I was more concerned with the tomato-colored Lovi I was still holding onto. It was funny, he's been in my arms more often here than all the centuries we've known each other.

"Do you feel dizzy, Lovi?" I held him at arm's length to make him more comfortable (he was starting to push on my chest to get me away anyway). He shook his head at first, then blinked a bunch of times and nodded once.

"Y-yeah, a little."

"Here, sit down." I led him to the table, a few seats away from the uninterested Russian. I sat him down and kneeled in front of him. I looked Lovi over for injuries. It seemed the only thing he had was the scratch on his arm.

"Your arm is hurt." I pointed out, gently lifting the arm and undoing the button on his sleeve to get to the wound.

"It's f-fine, really. Wh-what the fuck are you doing?" He tried to tug his arm away, but I held onto it and rolled his sleeve up.

"What, do you want me to treat it through the hole in your clothes?" I smiled up at him, using his (almost) exact words from earlier. He flushed, his face almost glowing crimson, and looked away while grumbling uncute things under his breath. I focused once again on his wound. I clenched my teeth. There were 3 claw marks on his arm. They weren't deep, but they were still bleeding. "¡Dios mío, mi querido!" I breathed out in Spanish. "How did this happen?"

"Does it matter? Are you going to fix it or not?" I glanced up at Lovi when he said this. He still wasn't looking at me, but his lips were twisted in a pout. I smiled to myself. So so cute.

"Ah, si, but the first aid kit is all but empty." I sighed hopelessly. "Feli is in the bathroom, so he can't heal." I looked over my shoulder to see if France was in the kitchen. He was still by England, chatting with Japan. "France! Are you strong enough to heal?"

"Hm? Oui, I can heal. Why? Does the darling little Italian need my expertise~?" France chuckled and walked over. I felt Lovi ball his hand into a fist.

"I'd rather get my arm amputated. Let go, Spain." He tugged harder at his arm to pull it away, but I held onto it and patted his knee gently, smiling at him.

"Well, I'd rather you keep your arm. Don't mind France, he's only kidding."

"Somehow, I'm not seeing the damn joke." Lovi snarled. Thankfully, he stopped fighting once France was next to us. He sat down beside Lovi and murmured something with his hand over Lovi's wound. Slowly, it began to stitch itself together, just like my side had earlier. In almost no time, all that remained of Lovi's wound was the drying blood.

"There we go, all better. If it still hurts, I can kiss the pain away." France winked at the mortified Lovi and danced away. Good. His words made me really mad for some reason.

"Stupid jerk." Lovi huffed. "Whatever, fuck him. I should go wash the blood off."

"The bathrooms are full, though." I told him, my hands shooting out to rest on his knees as he began to get up. "Plus, you might still be dizzy. It's better for you to rest." He stopped and stared at me with unreadable eyes before sitting back and nodding.

"True. Guess I'll wait." He mumbled, eyebrows pushing together in an uncertain kind of expression. I wonder what he's thinking about. I slid into the chair beside him, where France had been when he healed Lovi, and opened my mouth to ask when England interrupted.

"Aaaaah! What have you got there?!" He exclaimed. I looked up and saw that he was looking into Japan's knapsack. Japan looked effectively startled.

"Whoa! Y-you mean these? We found them lying on the floor in the annexe. Do you know what they are?" He dug something out from his bag. It was a little ball of light, similar to what England showed us before he summoned Japan, Lovi, and Gilbert.

"Oh? Those are the "lumps of magic" that England was talking about." I said, frowning curiously. "I wonder why there were some in the annexe, too?"

"Huh. Good thing we picked them up, then. It was just like I said." Gilbert nodded seriously. I heard Lovi was grumbling something in response, but I couldn't make out what. I looked at him. He was eyeing the balls of light with a strange sad look in his eyes.

"Oh! And there was this much?!" England smiled in delight as he looked into the bag. "Now I'll get back a considerable amount of my power." He held his hand out over the bag and closed his eyes. Little light beams shot up into his palm, as if magnetized, and seemed to be absorbed into his body. The one in Japan's hand disappeared as well. As quickly as it began, it was over and England opened his eyes and retracted his arm. He looked lighter, as if he had been carrying a heavy box and he had just set it down now.

"Yes! This is a good omen. I think I'll give it a shot." He smirked and looked around the room. "This room is a little dirty; I'll clean it up!" He rolled up his sleeves and spread his arms out. "Here we go! Hoata! " Slowly, things began to move on their own. Papers scattered around the tables shuffled into a pile. The things from the first aid kit flew back into the box in an orderly fashion. Lovi and I both jumped (I nearly fell out of my seat!) when a few books nearby began sliding into piles as well. I managed to catch a glimpse of Russia as I sat back down. He looked amused.

"Oh. You definitely put it in order." Japan admired England's work. "For that power, it's normal—I mean—"

"You saved us the cleaning work." China cheered, walking over with France from the kitchen. "So, what are we going to do now? We have so much to do that I'm in a jumble!"

"America seems to be having a hard time, so I guess we should go this time?" France suggested, though his attention was diverted to Gilbert. "So, what happened to your sword?" He wondered. Gilbert blinked and looked at his sword on the ground. He leaned over and picked it up. I could see Lovi's gun on the ground as well. I stood and grabbed it for him before he tried to get it himself.

"Yeah, it broke. It must've been from using it all the time in battle." Gilbert sighed sadly as he gazed at his poor sword. "What am I gonna do now? I can't fight barehanded." He looked at us helplessly. I frowned at my friend's sadness, wishing I could do something to help. Ahaha, it seems my uselessness here knows no bounds.

"Oh! That reminds me, my bullets weren't coming out, either!" Lovi reached over and grabbed his gun from my hands. "Potato—oh, he's in the bath..." he put his gun in his lap and let out an impatient growl in his throat.

"Ah-hah, so that was really West's? Let me see it. I'll fix it for you." Gilbert held out his hand for the gun. Lovi hesitated and leaned over me to hand it over. I chuckled, yanked it from his hand, and handed it to Gilbert to examine.

"This is very troublesome." Japan murmured thoughtfully, pacing the room slowly. "However, we have also gone through a continuous series of battles. Why don't we take a break until those three come out of the bathroom?" The rest of us nodded in agreement. Everyone could use a well-deserved break at this point.

"Oh, hey, that reminds me, I've been wondering." Russia piped up from his little corner. "Thanks to the journal, a lot of the enemies were gone, but where did they go?"

"What? Well, if those three wound up in the past, then obviously the enemies also—" England stopped short as realization struck. We exchanged looks of horror. "Oh…"

"Oh no." I shook my head slightly in disbelief. If Feli, Germany, and America were transported to the past, that means the monsters have been as well. Japan's eyes closed and Lovi's head dropped into his hands.

"Mon deu." France whimpered. "What now?"

"That is what I have been wondering." Russia said again.

"Should we use Italy's journal and go back?" China suggested. Lovi shook his head halfway through the sentence.

"No one except Veneziano can go back in time using that thing, remember?"

"Well, England can, with his own magic." Gilbert pointed out.

"Yes, it shouldn't be a problem for me to go back in time, with all of this energy I have." England nodded.

"Shouldn't we wait for everyone to be together first?" I asked.

"We may not have time for that. As long as those monsters are back there, our past selves are in danger." China argued.

"No, Spain is right. We should wait for Veneziano and the others." Lovi defended. I couldn't help but break into a huge smile, knowing that he was taking my side for once. "I don't think America would be happy with you if you went back in time without him knowing." England's eyes narrowed at Lovi's comment, but he slowly nodded.

"Yes, it's best if we wait for now." Japan finally spoke up, eyes open again. Everyone nodded and found a seat. All that was left to do now was to wait.

**X-X-X**

"What?! You mean the enemy wound up in the past, too?!" Veneziano cried in horror. He and the other two bastards came out of the bathroom just a while ago. Immediately, we told them what we had just realized.

"Wait a minute. If that's true, does that mean they were in the same time loop as us?! Shouldn't we go back and kill them?" the potato muncher wondered. Veneziano nodded slowly.

"Y-yeah, now we are able to fight them, but our past selves definitely wouldn't be able to kill them, and if someone dies because of that, it could change this reality." I tried hard not to sigh out loud impatiently. We've already discussed this shit before these three showed up. Hearing it again is just annoying.

"If that's what you're worried about, it's okay; I've already killed it." America casually said. We all stared at him.

"Eh? You did? When?" Canada asked.

"Unlike Germany and Italy, I wound up in the basement, along with the enemy. It was already somewhat weakened, so it wasn't that hard to kill it." He shrugged.

"You wound up in the basement?!" Germany eyed America, looking confused. "But... there wasn't only one enemy. We should go back just in case." Everyone else began to murmur in agreement, but America cut through the chatter.

"While you were on the 3rd floor, I searched the whole place. No one found me, and it turned out there was only that one enemy. The second time loop is fine." He hesitated before murmuring. "I don't want to go back there." Hm, so this wasn't about the time period being unaffected, this was about his own personal grudge against England. I crossed my arms and scoffed under my breath. What a selfish jerk. He still doesn't seem to grasp just how serious this is.

"What the hell, you're still not over it?" England scoffed as well and shook his head. America scowled, but was ignored. "So, anyway, we're going to split into two groups - one will go to the annexe and the other will go to the past to kill the enemy. Any objections?"

"Oh, so now we are free to choose who will go to the past?" Japan raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, now, who do you think I am? I'm strong now that I've got my power back, you know." England frowned, slightly offended.

"Hmm, I think I'll go, then~" France purred. I bristled at his voice. I'm still not over what happened when he healed me. The jerk is a bigger pervert than the tomato bastard next to me (who, I might add, has forced me to stay in my seat 3 times already and keeps patting my leg whenever I got pissed. He just did it again! I swear, I'll snap his hand off.).

"I can go, too." China volunteered. As expected, Russia agreed to go as well.

"Oh, then I'm coming with you. What are you going to do, America?" Canada wondered.

"I'll stay. I want to search the annexe." America said with a stubborn edge to his voice.

"All right. Then you four have to stand close to the magic circle. Italy, give me the journal. I'll leave this journal with you, once you kill the enemy, you have to open it on the last page." England directed everyone to his carved circle with the weird-ass symbols and gave all the instructions. I tuned it out mostly and looked at Prussia. He also wasn't paying attention and was focused on fixing my gun. Good, the wurst eater wasn't slacking off on my watch.

"Yeah, you too!" I heard Spain say. I turned just in time to see the 4 nations going back in time link hands and disappear with a huge flash of light. I had to blink a few times to focus. "Lovi, you okay? Feeling dizzy again?" I looked at the idiot next to me, who was staring at me with concern. "I could carry you to bed or something."

"I'm fine, dammit. I don't need to be carried anywhere. Stop babying me, I'm not made of glass or anything." I grumbled, turning in my seat so I could focus on Prussia fixing my weapon.

"Okay." Spain said softly. He sounded dejected. I turned to look at him just as he turned his sad frown into a fake smile. The hell? I felt guilt bubble up in me.

"I-I just mean that, you don't have to take care of me right now. I'm feeling fine, dammit. S-so stop worrying and getting sad." I turned red and looked down at the lines of the floor.

"Ah, alright, Lovi." I looked up to see a small but real smile on his face. "If you're not feeling well, let me know right away." Before I could stop him, he gave me a quick hug and stood up to go to the next table, where his axe was resting.

"That was nice of yah." I looked over to see Prussia looking at me from the corner of his eye. "I thought you were going to leave it there for a moment. I was about ready to smack you in the head."

"Shut the fuck up and keep fixing my gun." I snapped, my face burning hotter. He rolled his eyes and continued for a moment, but also continued to talk.

"But seriously, speaking as his friend, I'll kick your ass and use it as bait for the monster if you have the guts to hurt him." He told me in a hard tone. He paused in his work to look at me. "Got it?" I opened my mouth to answer, but stopped myself before the answer came out and just nodded. He didn't seem satisfied, but he went back to fixing the weapon. I sighed through my nose in relief that I didn't have to respond. The Prussian can live with just a nod, nosy bastard.

But, in all honesty, I would never dream of hurting him.

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**Translation:**

_Dios mío, mi querido:_ My god, darling (roughly. The darling part, he means more as an affectionate term. Not romantic yet. If you have an alternative word for me to use that might sound better, please let me know)

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**Rate and Review~**


	16. Not my Only Friend

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**I'm sorry for the late update. Lost track of the days. I'll probably update early this week to get back on schedule.**

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Things were slowly calming down in the safe room. Before I knew it, people were getting ready to leave again. Namely, my brother and the remaining Allied idiots. Japan wanted to go, but Veneziano insisted on taking his place, since Japan was too exhausted from our trip to the annex. Prussia and I were tired, too. People who were fixing weapons and/or didn't have any had no choice but to stay hidden anyway. Veneziano wandered around to talk to everyone before leaving while America and England gathered supplies. Japan was in the kitchen to take over for the cooking. Prussia and I were still at one table while I waited for him to fix my gun and Spain was at the table next to us, trying to fix up his axe. I don't know what the fuck Potato head was building, but it better be some new beds.

I was getting restless by the minute. Prussia often made comments about what was wrong with the gun. He suspects something damaged the barrel and jammed the bullets. He shot me a look from the corner of his eye as he said that. I flipped him off. I didn't do shit to that gun, dammit. It was probably one of those walking British scones. Thinking of those things made me tense. Seeing all of them behind those bars, all the ones we thought we killed, perfectly alright while we were dying. It was an unfair advantage. If we didn't escape soon, they'll use it to their advantage.

I vaguely noticed a shadow beside me as I was lost in thought. I looked up at my brother's curious smile and then back at the gun. "He's fixing my weapon. I did take good care of it, though." I heard the wurst sucker snort. I aimed a kick at his shin, but he scooted away to dodge it. Damn it. Next time, you damn bastard.

"Prussia is so good with his hands, isn't he?" Veneziano praised, pretending like nothing happened. My eyebrow rose as I looked at him. That was a fucking strange thing to say. If he knew that, he didn't show it.

"Yeah." I shrugged, my eyes dropping. I spotted his journal in his hands, as well as a small sack of provisions for going to the annex. Thinking of the annex reminded me. "Oh, by the way... We left the monster there when we disappeared. It's definitely lurking there somewhere. Be careful." I looked at him, worried. Could my brother handle himself? I couldn't even beat the thing, with Japan and Prussia by my side. Hopefully, having the strongest nation in the mansion and the most skilled in magic makes a bigger difference.

"Sure. I've got used to fighting, so I'll manage!" He chirped and leaned down to give me a hug. Still worried, I cut him some slack and actually hugged him back.

"At least we confirmed there was one of them there." Prussia spoke up. My brother and I broke apart so he could stand. Prussia tweaked something and turned to face us. "It could come from any direction, so be careful. I wish I could come running to help you as soon as I'm done fixing this, but... it doesn't help that I'm barehanded." He let out a sheepish chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "I'll stay alert, though." Veneziano smiled and went over to hug him as well.

"Take it easy. As soon as we find anything, we'll come back." He nodded to us both and went over to chat with Spain. I peeked over at them briefly, trying not to make it seem like I was trying to spy (since I wasn't. I didn't give a crap what they talked about). It seemed like a short goodbye. Veneziano skipped over to America and England and the three of them left. Once the door shut, the only sounds that echoed through the room were the sounds Japan made in the kitchen, Germacho making beds, Prussia tinkering with my gun, and Spain sliding a rock against his axe blade. I shuddered at the metallic sound. It sent chills through my whole body.

Japan came out of the kitchen with a bunch of little fish strips and Japanese scones on two platters. He set one down on my table and the other on Spain's. He glanced around and looked at me. "Did Italy, England, and America already leave?"

"Yeah, just a little while ago." I told him, grabbing myself a scone. I've had one of Japan's scones once, but I forgot when. Any memory from before the mansion seems like it's been centuries since.

"Really? Italy forgot his snacks." Japan mused. He grabbed a few scones and put them into his pocket. "I'll be back soon." He turned and started going down the stairs. I jumped up, a little concerned. Japan fought the most in the annex. Even I wasn't fully recovered yet. If I'm still tired, there's no telling how Japan feels.

"Japan, you can't leave! You should be resting!" I called out. I heard the metal door open before he called back.

"I'm feeling okay, and I'm going straight to Italy, America, and England. I'll be back soon." He repeated and the door closed. I ran to follow and managed to catch him before we went out into the hallway.

"Japan, wait!" He paused and looked at me, a little bit of surprise showing on his otherwise emotionless face. "Dammit, if I'm still too weak to fight, there's no fucking way that you're okay. I don't care how strong you are, you're beat up. If you fight that thing again, you'll get yourself killed." I tried to catch my breath a little more as I waited for Japan's response. He had pulled a blank face for a moment before he smiled. He turned to face me and bowed.

"Thank you for your concern, Romano. I am touched that you care so much for the safety of others." I looked away at his embarrassing words.

"I-I'm not doing it for you. The second my brother finds out that you've been killed, he'll turn back time. I don't want that to happen, not when we're so close." My last sentence came out hushed, but he heard it anyway.

"Of course, that is important as well." I narrowed my eyes at his quick tone of voice. It sounded like Spain's "you're-not-fooling-me-silly-Roma/Lovi/whatever the hell he decides to call me" voice. Damn, even talking to the more sane nation in the mansion made me think of that stupid Spaniard. "You needn't worry about my safety. I'll have America and England there to back me up, and your brother will be there to heal us."

"Y-yeah… I guess…" I agreed ruefully. I nodded stiffly and pointed at him warningly. "Fine, but if you die, I'll make sure you pay for it in the next time loop, sushi bastard." A chuckle escaped the nerd's mouth, but he nodded in agreement and bowed again.

"Sayōnara, Romano." He turned and left. I sighed, pushed my hair back, and slowly went back to the safe room, locking the door behind me and trudging up the stairs.

"Lovi." I jumped and let out a yelp when someone just popped out of fucking _nowhere_ and scared the crap out of me. "Oh, lo siento, didn't mean to scare you!" I glared at Spain, smiling innocently from next to the top of the stairs, just off to the side enough to not be noticed until you were upstairs. I looked at him, then down the stairs into the darkness, then back at him.

"Wh-where you spying on me?" I asked him, unsure if my face was showing any emotion. I didn't even know what to feel about that.

"No, of course not! That would be creepy and I wouldn't do anything creepy!" Spain rushed out, shaking his head so hard, I thought it was going to pop off. I knew he was lying, but I just let it slide.

"Whatever, Spain." I walked over to the nearest table, Spain's, and grabbed a scone to nibble on. Spain followed and leaned against the table next to me. He looked like he wanted to say something. I ignored him and let him suffer in silence. That'll teach the bastard, for… something.

"You know, Japan was right. You have been very caring for the other nations lately." He finally said. I felt my ears burn.

"I thought you said you weren't spying on us."

"I wasn't spying. I didn't actually SEE anything."

"Don't twist words, you fucking cheater. Why were you eavesdropping, anyway?"

"I didn't mean to! I just wanted to stay close to you—" The scone in my hand froze mid-bite. "—just in case you needed me." I lowered my hand to stare at him full in the face. He stared back, his expression sincere. "I mean, who knows what could've happened down there." A shitload of questions popped up for me to ask, like what he heard or why did he think I needed him at all. I didn't ask any of that.

"Why do you care so much?" was the question that spouted out of my big mouth. I wanted to take it back immediately and crawl into a hole because of that humiliating question. The expression that appeared on his face scared me a little, too. It didn't help that he was right next to me, our arms almost touching. I wasn't sure what he was going to say, and I didn't know if I wanted to know or not. I froze when he opened his mouth to answer.

"Yo, brat! Romano!" The Prussian scissors cut right through the building tension. I turned to look at him. He was standing, holding my gun up, with a huge shit-eating grin on his face. "The Great and Awesome Gilbert just fixed your gun!" he announced, puffing up his chest proudly. I scoffed.

"Whatever, loser. Just set it down." I gestured to the table. He pouted and put it down before walking off, probably to join his brother. I turned to look back at Spain, but he wasn't next to me anymore. I blinked and looked around. He was back in his seat, sharpening his axe. His cheeks were a little red. I furrowed my eyebrows. I guess the tension between us didn't get past his keen senses, either.

**X-X-X**

Minutes trickled by, boring me out of my skull. Germany only left his project (which was indeed the double bed that Veneziano asked him to make) once to get items to make a mattress. Prussia was helping him. Spain was still very focused on sharpening his giant death machine of a halberd. I made a face at it. That thing scared the living shit out of me when I was a kid. When I was cleaning his room (I did that sometimes, just because I was too bored to do anything else. Not because I was being nice. Hell no.), I accidentally knocked the big thing over. It nearly took my head off! Naturally, I blamed Spain for everything and told him I'm never coming near his room again. Thankfully, he hid the thing from then on.

Eventually, I got tired of mentally insulting the bastard's choice in weaponry, so I looked down at my gun. The German-ish bastard told me it was fixed and ready to use. Maybe I should test it just to make sure. I grabbed the gun and adjusted the settings before looking around. I spotted, in the kitchen, a small can from the fish Japan made. I aimed at it and pulled the trigger. The gun fired and there was a small _clang_ as the can was hit and fell off the counter. I half smiled to myself. It works just like before. I guess Prussia isn't as useless as I thought.

I looked for another target. I saw a bag of chips, probably America's, laying on one of the fruit baskets. I aimed and shot at it a bunch of times until the bag was full of holes and, likely, full of crumbs. "The gun works?" Prussia called from his spot.

"Yeah, it's working pretty well." I announced. I heard him laugh in delight, but I paid no attention. I was about to shoot at the fish can on the ground, but a sudden flash blinded me and I set off the gun on accident. When the light cleared, I saw a hole in the basket of fruit. It started dripping juices. I cursed under my breath and looked at the source of the light. France, China, Russia, and Canada were holding hands around England's magic circle thing.

"Oh, you guys are back!" I heard Spain point out, as obvious as ever. France smiled and waved to his friend while Russia and China went to go sit at the table. Canada looked around frantically, his eyes finally landing on me. He eyed my gun cautiously, but came up to me anyway.

"Where is America?"

"He's still not back from the annex with my brother and England." I answered, putting my gun on the table.

"O-oh. It's been a long time since they left. Should we go check on them?" I looked at Canada. He looked particularly worried, picking at his fingers nervously and eyeing the exit.

"Canada." He looked at me, startled. "In the past you went to, did America…" I trailed off, but he knew what I meant. He hesitated before nodding.

"Y-yes, America had… h-had…" Canada sniffled and blinked several times, looking away. I nodded to myself.

"Well, don't worry. He'll be fine. Japan went to go join them and my brother knows how to heal." I recalled Japan was telling me the exact same thing as I was telling the Canadian. "He'll be alright." Canada nodded and smiled timidly.

"Thank you, Romano." I shrugged a shoulder indifferently.

"Oy, Canada! Would you like to help your papa in the kitchen~?" France called to his former colony from beside Spain. When I looked over, he waved at me cheerfully.

"S-sure." Canada agreed, ruefully, and followed as France danced his way to the kitchen. I rolled my eyes at the sight and looked away only to come face to face with a sunny grin.

"Gack!" I jumped in surprise, then smacked Spain in the arm. "Damn it, stop scaring me, you stupid jerk!"

"Sorry, Lovi." He laughed. My eyebrow rose a little. He was certainly in a better mood now. "Hey, do you want to come on a little trip with me?"

"A trip? What trip? Where?" I stared at him, confused. Where could he want to go in this hellhole?

"To the past!" He gestured to England's magic circle. Oh, that's where.

"Did you trip and hit your head somewhere?! We can't go back there!"

"Why not?" Spain frowned and tilted his head like some puppy. I made a face. He can't be this stupid. You can't survive for centuries when you're this stupid. Then again, America is almost an empire.

"Spain, do I have to spell it out for you? This is the only time period where we showed up inside the mansion. If we get caught, it could cause huge problems for us and for the people in that time loop."

"Oh, that's not a problem. We just have to not get caught!" He looked at me like it was obvious.

"I don't think it's that simple."

"Lovi, it's the second time loop. Your brother kept certain people out of certain rooms. All we have to do is go into those rooms. Francis told me about all of them."

"You really expect me to go headfirst into the past because that stupid fuckface said so? And why are you calling him Francis?"

"I heard Feli talking about it. He said that he and America knew that they were from the same time period because they called each other by the human names in our treaty. So, I'm trying to get used to saying everyone's names, just in case." He looked thoughtful. "What's eyebrow's name again? Arthur or Alfred?"

"I don't fucking know. I didn't pay much attention. Why do you want to go into the past so bad anyway?" I frowned, thinking of the worst. "Did France and the others not complete the job?"

"Hm? Oh, no, they killed all the monsters, but France said the ones from the 2nd time loop are still running around. I want to practice a little." He reached back and tapped his axe, strapped to his back.

"You can't practice on the ones here?"

"Those are too strong for just the two of us." He suddenly reached down and grabbed my hands and pouted. I froze in surprise. "Pleeeaaasssee Lovi? Won't you come with your boss? Please please pleeaassee?" He kept whining and begging like some little kid, swinging our hands from side to side and flashing that ador—ANNOYING pout.

"Okay, OKAY, for fucks sake, I'll go! Just let go of me!" I tried to pull away, my face hot. He grinned and let go.

"Yay! I'll go get some food, since there won't be a safe room. We'll leave whenever you're ready!" He winked and went to the kitchen. I felt like I was bolted to the floor. My hand rubbed my hot cheek. There was definitely something wrong with me today. Was I getting sick? Even if this place looks abnormally clean, it could be filled with god knows what kind of bacteria. That's the only explanation for the quick redness in my face and the way my heart takes a plunge into my stomach. It's only coincidence that it happens around that weirdo I call a friend (for some odd reason). Right? Right.

A bang from the metal door snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see France running up the stairs. Behind him was Veneziano, with America in tow. "America!" Canada ran over just as I did.

"Veneziano, are you okay?" My brother was dirty again and looked a little worn, but he still managed to carry America.

"Vee, I'm okay, big bro." He reached over and gave me a hug, letting go of America to let his own brother embrace him.

"Good. I'd fucking kill you if you died on me now." I patted his back. He laughed into my shoulder. "Hey, where is Japan?"

"And Angleterre? I thought he went with you." France frowned at them. The mention of them gave America and Veneziano a devastated look.

"We were attacked! We couldn't handle it on our own, but then Japan arrived and he and England stayed back to hold off the monster while America and I ran back here. They should be right behind us, but…" Veneziano trailed off. I knew what he meant, though. He didn't know if they made it or not.

"We have to go back for them!" America started for the door, but Canada held him back.

"You can't! You're too worn out!" Canada protested. I watched, amazed, as he actually managed to keep America at bay. Either America is weaker than he looks or Canada is just as strong as his brother is.

"Canada is right! Let's give it a few minutes, America, okay? If they don't return, I'll get Germany and Prussia and Spain and whoever else to go back and get them." Veneziano assured the American. He patted his shoulder. "Okay?" America stared at him, then at his brother, then back at him. His face twisted somewhere between anger and crying. He shoved my brother and his away and stomped to the beds. Canada blinked and followed him.

"Hey!" I snapped when my brother stumbled away from the blonde. Veneziano put a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, _fratello_."

"Feli! You're back!" Spain jogged over to us, carrying a sack of something. "Where are the other guys?"

"America is busy sulking and Japan and England are holding off a monster back at the annex." I summed up. Spain's smile turned into a worried frown.

"Should we hold off on the trip until they get back?"

"Trip?" Veneziano looked between us curiously. I sighed slightly.

"This bastard wants to go back in time now that France has given him some pointers about staying hidden."

"What? Why would you want to go back there?" My brother's eyes went huge as he stared at Spain. Spain went back to being cheerful.

"Lovi and I are going to do some target practice, get stronger and test out our modified weapons so we can fight better against the monsters in this time."

"Oh, Prussia fixed your gun?"

"Yeah, and he's not going to let me forget it." I scowled in the direction of the albino. Veneziano smiled in delight.

"Good! Well, that sounds like a good idea! Maybe I could come with, in case you need healing?" I shrugged and was about to answer, but Spain cut me off.

"Oh, um, well, since they're easy monsters, I don't think we'll need much healing. If anything happens, we'll use the portal to get back." I stared at him. He was rubbing the back of his head and was looking at Veneziano strangely. He looked… hopeful? Something like that. I looked at Veneziano just in time to catch his expression turn from confused to knowing.

"Okay, that's true." He nodded slowly, looking from his very confused brother to the Spaniard next to me. "I have to wait here for England and Japan anyway."

"Will you be okay getting them back without us?" I asked.

"Yes, I still have Germany and Prussia and France and China, right? We can handle it. You two go on ahead." He smiled at me reassuringly, answering my question almost too quickly. He then looked at Spain and his eyes changed. I couldn't tell what it was, though. "You two be careful, now, and remember what I told you, Tonio." He nodded to him, reached over to give me a quick hug, then skipped over to the German bastard.

"What did he tell you?" I asked, eyeing Spain suspiciously. He looked back at me for a moment before smiling brightly.

"Nothing too important. Just some advice Feli gave me before leaving for the annex." He stretched and gestured toward the magic circle. "Shall we go?"

"Um, sure." I frowned, confused but it was clear that Spain wasn't going to tell me what the advice was. The thought of them keeping secrets from me was annoying. It made me angrier than I should be. Was I not trustworthy enough to tell? I went over and grabbed my gun and its strap. Maybe shooting up giant grey monsters from hell would make me feel better.

Once I had my weapon and grabbed myself a tomato (I don't care if the bastard already packed a few, I'll feel better when I have my own tomato in my pocket), I went to the circle. Spain was waiting there with his pouch of food and his axe on his own back. "Ready, Lovi? Just stand across from me here." He pointed to where I should stand. I stood there and blinked when I realized something.

"Um, don't we need England to be here to activate it?"

"No, England explained to the others that you just need to stand on these points and it will transport you back and forth." He tapped 4 specific parts to the circle where it seems to connect. He already had one foot on a point. "I won't step on this one until you're standing on your points." I nodded and moved my feet so that they were spread out a little and standing on the points.

"Is this right?" I asked. Spain nodded in approval and held out his hands. I stared at them. "What are you doing?" He frowned a little.

"Well, we need to hold hands so the circle knows to teleport us both together."

"Isn't that what the points are for?"

"Well, yes, but we might end up at different parts of the house and we'll lose each other." His voice sounded too upset when he said that last part. "That's what the other guys had to do. England said we have to."

"…Fine." I sighed and slid my hands into his. He held onto them gently and I swear I felt his thumbs graze my knuckles.

"Okay, we're ready. On 3? Or 1-2-3-Go?"

"Whichever, just count."

"Okay. 1… 2… 3!" He put his foot on the last point. The circle lit up and I squeezed my eyes shut to keep from being blinded. Once again, I had the sensation of being sucked through a tube. The only difference is that I still felt the bastard's hands holding mine.

* * *

**Translation:**

**Sayōnara- good bye**

* * *

**Not sure if I mentioned it before, but I personally see Romano and Japan to be good friends. Anyway, first arc of this story is slowly drawing to a close. After about 2 or so chapters, the story is going to continue with my personal story lines. Get ready ^^***

**Rate and Review~**


	17. Library of the Second Time Loop

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or Hetaoni.**

**Fair warning: you will likely cry towards the end of the chapter. I'll have the tissues ready for you when you get there.**

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw were books. On either side of me were bookshelves, much like the ones in every single room. This room, however, had a crapton more bookcases than any other room, maybe even the library. When I looked behind me, I saw the row of bookcases stretched even further, leaving a space for a little pathway. I don't remember seeing this room.

"Oh, we landed in this room." I turned my head back to look at Spain. He was also looking around curiously, and still holding my hands. His hands were really warm. Wait, no, I didn't just think that.

"What is this room, anyway?" I asked sharply, trying to hide my embarrassment. I yanked my hands out of his hold. Cold air hit them and I suppressed a shiver. He didn't notice, but he did frown when I pulled my hands away.

"It's a giant library on the third floor. Francis told me this is where they ended up, too." As he talked, I walked out to the small pathway at the end of the row and looked to the right. It wasn't very long, but there were many more bookcases. I could see a door somewhere at the end. Seeing it reminded me of a memory from my brother. He hid in here a few times.

"Alright, so are we back in time?" I asked, cutting through Spain's sentence (he was apparently still talking). He smiled, ran over to grab my hand again, and pulled me toward another door on our left, much closer to us than the other door.

"Let's find out!" He opened up the door and dragged me out of the room.

"The hell are you doing?!" I hissed, trying to get free. "You can't just barge out of a room like that! What if there was someone outside, you idiot?"

"Lovi, stop pulling your hand like that, you're going to make me fall over." Spain laminated quietly, pretty much diving us down the stairs.

"Are you listening to me?!" I stopped pulling but continued to glare at him. Once we were at the bottom of the stairs, he turned and pulled me into an embrace.

"Yes, yes, Lovi, I heard you. I'm sorry that you got worried. I'll be careful from now on." He patted my frozen back. "Okay?"

"Just don't d-do it again, bastard." I grumbled, turning red and pushing on his chest. "N-now get off." Spain let me go right away, taking my hand again instead, and led us to the second staircase slowly and quietly. I wanted to try to get free again (why is he so clingy all of a sudden, for fucks sake), but voices coming from below us distracted me.

"_I told you! This house is dangerous! I've seen it! We're going to be attacked by a huge monster and everyone is going to die! It's true, I'm telling you!_" It was Veneziano's voice. He sounds really panicked. I start to walk further to get a closer look, but Spain's hand squeezed mine. I looked up at him. He shook his head and put a finger to his lips, then put a hand on my shoulder and pushed down. I stared at him in confusion and he did it again and again. None of his signals made a lick of sense to me, but I got the gist of it. He wanted us to stay quiet and stay where we are. I nodded and went back to listening in.

"_It will be easier to search for them if we split up and agree on a time to meet here again, don't you think?_" I heard Japan say.

"_Oh, that sounds good to me. I don't want to stick with you all the time, and if each one goes where he likes, we can tell each other about the places we searched later._" Russia responded.

"_Don't!_" Veneziano called. I could see from my angle that Russia was walking away towards the kitchen. Small sobs echoed off the walls. I scowled to myself. This is probably one of the earlier time loops that Veneziano mentioned, the ones where he desperately tried to get everyone to not go into the mansion in the first place. If those idiots had only listened to him, no one would be in this mess. I wouldn't have to come here and drag Spain with me to save their sorry asses.

"Ay! Lovi, not so hard!" Spain hissed next to me. I looked at him to see him trying to pry my hand off of his. It took me a moment to realize that I was digging my nails into his hand. I let go and he rubbed at the crecent-shaped indents in his hand. I frowned in guilt and opened my mouth to say something, but then I heard Japan's voice.

"_Then I suppose I will start on the second floor._" Spain and I froze at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. We could see America and Japan headed up.

"Shit!" I huffed. Spain acted faster than I, grabbing my arm and dragging me back upstairs to the third floor.

"America said he was going to the topmost floor. We have to hide somewhere here." Spain murmured when we reached the top. I could hear America's footsteps behind us.

"The piano room! Veneziano avoided it the most!" I recalled. I've only seen the piano room when Japan was found killed there, and brief times when they had to decipher the puzzle in the piano. The rest of the time, Veneziano kept everyone out of there if he could help it. Spain and I ran to the door and he tried to open it. He jiggled the knob, but it wouldn't budge. I could hear America's footsteps on the stairs and began to panic. "Fuck! The door to the library is right in front of the stairs! He'll see us before we can get to it!" I swore under my breath some more. 3 fucking minutes in the past and we're about to screw it all up.

"Come on." Spain grabbed me again and ran to the left, toward the stairs leading to the fourth floor. In front of us was the other door to the library. I had completely forgotten about it. Spain opened the door, practically threw me into the room, and closed the door behind us, back pressed up against it. We waited for perhaps the longest minute in history as America's footsteps came close to the door, then started ascending the stairs beside it. When we couldn't hear them anymore, I let out the breath I was holding and slumped against a wall.

"Th-that was too fucking close." I panted, exhausted. I felt like some rag doll, being tossed and dragged around by the Spaniard. I expected him to agree in some way, so I was shocked when I heard laughter escaping him instead.

"Heh… heheh… ahahaha…" He pressed his lips together, trying to hold back his chuckles, lips curled into a grin. I stared at him.

"Have you finally cracked?" I wondered, a little freaked out by his laugh.

"N-no, it's just… that w-was one of the biggest thrills I've had in so so long." He giggled again and looked up at me with a sunny smile. "A-and I got to sh-share it with you, Lovi~ . It's been so long since we had an adventure like this together." He slowly calmed and leaned back against the door, looking up at the ceiling instead of the speechless Italian in front of him. "We haven't hung out like this in a long time. The days before coming here are starting to slip away" He confessed. "I'm very happy that you came with me, Lovi. It means a lot to me." I continued to stare at him. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know what to say. His words confused me. Part of me thought that yes, he finally snapped. Another part wanted to hit him for thinking about such stupid and pointless things.

But there was also a part of me that wondered if he really meant it, if he just wanted me here so we could be a part of an adventure together. Thinking back on it, he could've taken anyone along. He could've asked France to come with him again, since he had already been to the past. Hell, he could've asked Prussia. He would love to go kick ass with his dear friend. Why pick me to go? Was it just because I had my gun fixed?

"Lovi?" I blinked and focused on Spain when he said my name. He was looking at me curiously. "Is there something wrong with you? You're spacing out more than usual." Something about his words made me angry, pushing the weird and confusing thoughts out of my head.

"What?! You asshole, there's nothing wrong with me!" I yelled at him, glaring. Spain held his hands up defensively.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you, Lovi. You just seem kind of out of it. You didn't even hear what I said."

"Fuck you." I grumbled and crossed my arms across my chest. "What did you say, then, bastard?"

"I asked you if you wanted to go out looking for some monsters." He jabbed his thumb toward the door. "That's what we came here for, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." I made a face. "Fine, but things better not turn out like it did earlier. We're staying on our toes and we're not taking chances."

"Agreed."

**X-X-X**

So we headed out, put our ears to doorways and stayed close to corners. Spain kept his word and didn't try to drag me anywhere or make any noise or rush off into a room without checking it. He did, however, try to grab my hand way too often for my liking. I lost count how many times I had to slap his hand. It probably looks as red as my face has been getting. Although, I have to admit, hearing that bastard yelp in pain is strangely satisfying.

We ended up in the basement for a while. The place was just as cold and creepy as I remembered. I was sure we'd run into a monster there, but none came. "What the hell? This is a huge waste of time. Where are those grey assholes?"

"No clue. We could go to their cage but we need the metal keys for that." Spain sighed, leaning against the wall. I grumbled under my breath and was about to go to the hallway when I heard voices.

"Ah, Canada, don't wander off like that. We should stick together~."

"B-but I've been right next to you the entire time…" My heart leapt to my throat. That sounded like Russia. Canada too? Why were they down here?!

"Let's head back up now, _da_?" I heard Russia say, then I heard two sets of footsteps head for the door to the outside. The same door that was only accessible through the room Spain and I were in now. I turned and looked at Spain's horrified face. We had to get out of here.

We both made a break for the door, but the knob was already turning. If we ran out now, we wouldn't have time to hide before Russia and Canada spotted us. "Quick, back here!" Spain hissed, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind the single bookcase before I could say no. Somehow, we had managed to get back there together, but it was a really tight fit. Spain had to be flat as a board against the wall and I had to be sandwiched between him and the bookcase. We made it just in time for us to hear the door outside swing open and close.

"Hm, nothing interesting here." I heard Russia muse. "Maybe the books on this shelf have some value." I heard footsteps approaching the bookshelf. Spain's arms slowly winded around me and shoved me closer, my feet in between his. I bit my lip, too scared to protest. I could barely breath, but that was probably because my face was shoved into Spain's chest.

"Russia, we should go find the others." Canada said softly.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I suppose you want to find your brother. There's nothing interesting here anyway." Russia's footsteps went further away. We heard the door open and then close. Spain and I let out identical sighs of relief.

"That was really close." Spain murmured. I peeled my face away and winced when I hit the bookcase as result.

"Fuck. Why were they even down here?" I rubbed the back of my head.

"Maybe looking for America, like Russia said." Spain shrugged.

"Maybe. Ugh, whatever. They're gone so let's go down there and get out as soon as possible." I began sliding out from behind the case. Spain's arms came with me, because for some reason, the bastard hasn't let me go yet. He made a whiny sort of sound of protest in his throat. I wanted to yell, but I was starting to get claustrophobic, so I ripped his arms off and jerked myself free. Spain followed me slowly, pouting but relieved to be out of there. "Next time, I pick the hiding place, pervert." I snapped at him. He blinked.

"Pervert? Why am I a pervert all of a sudden?"

"Don't play dumb, I heard that little disappointed whine of yours when I got out of there, and you not letting go of me. I could tell you were enjoying yourself." I accused. He frowned strangely, eyes unreadable. Finally, he chuckled. "The hell is so funny?"

"You are, Lovi. The things you imagine are always funny. You did that when you were a kid, too, with the squirrels peeing in your bed."

"Are you calling me a liar?! And those squirrels were real, dammit!"

"Ahaha, come on, silly Lovi. Let's go downstairs." He walked past me to get to the next door, chuckling to himself. It didn't sound humorous. It sounded nervous. Nevertheless, I followed him further into the basement. No matter what I said, he still denied the sound he made behind the bookshelf and claimed I was imagining things.

Aside from that mishap, we didn't run into anything. That includes the monsters. We heard a fight going on once, but we steered clear of it. By the time we had looked around the entire place, everyone who was in that time loop was scattered around the mansion and, since they searched the library already, we retreated there. "Well, this has been a huge waste of my fucking time." I complained. Spain sighed.

"I know. Lo siento, Lovi. I had hoped it would be easier to find those things." We walked along the rows of bookshelves until we found the portal. "Still, I had fun!"

"You would have fun jumping rope through a minefield." I rolled my eyes, stepping close to the portal. It was still slightly lit up.

"Didn't you have fun?" Spain tilted his head, walking over and standing across from me. I made a face and refused to look at him. I didn't want to answer him. He would know if I lied and the truth would result in him getting clingy and affectionate over me again. Truth is, I did have fun. Just the thrill of getting caught, running through a giant house and hiding, wondering what could be hidden behind that door or around that corner. It was like hide and seek. I don't remember playing it when I was a kid. I might have, with Belgium or Spain. I frowned to myself. It seems like this place was draining my old memories by the hour.

"Lovi? Are you okay?" I finally looked at him. Spain was frowning in concern. "You didn't answer—" He stopped mid-sentence and fell silent. My brow furrowed in confusion.

"Spain? What—"

"Shh." Spain put a finger to his lips and tapped his ear. I understood that, for once. Shut up and listen. I kept my eyes on Spain as I listened hard for any other sound. It took a moment, but I finally heard it. Heavy breathing and a creaking floorboard, as well as a huge unsettling cold. We just listened to it as it got closer, louder. Finally, a low growl sounded from off to the side. We turned our heads to see one of the grey monsters, big head and little body, black eyes cold and brute-like. When we moved, it bared its teeth and growled again. I peeked at Spain from the corner of my eye and met his gaze. He was smiling in excitement. I couldn't help but smile right back at him.

**X-X-X**

So a battle had finally begun. We almost didn't have the time to draw our weapons before the monster attacked us. Like Spain predicted, it was weaker than the ones at our time loop. My bullets actually left marks and visibly knocked the monster back. Spain was having a good time swinging around his axe and nearly slicing the limbs of the monster clean off.

"Ahaha! It cuts like a dream now~" He sang, spinning it with one hand over his head (probably to look cool).

"I was right, you've definitely gone crazy in here." I snorted, but I couldn't deny the small chuckles bubbling out of my mouth. The monster didn't last long against our combined force. A few cuts there, a few shots there, and it faded away. However, the death rattle breathing didn't fade away when it was gone, like it normally does. Spain and I walked out into the pathway to see another monster on the far right. Spain immediately got its attention, but when he did, I felt a chill go up my spine. I turned and saw yet another monster behind us. When I moved it, it growled and stalked closer.

"One for each of us." I said, backing up. Spain and I were back to back now. I heard him laugh again.

"Ah-hah! Just perfect! Are you ready to fight, Lovi?" he asked me. I was about to answer when a shot of pain in my chest stopped me cold. It felt like I had just gotten a needle through the heart. It was like heartburn or something, but then the pain began to spread throughout my chest and nerves. I felt my heart race, my brain pound, the pain in my chest getting excruciating. I gasped out loud and felt my gun slip out of my hands. "Lovi?" I heard Spain murmur, curious why I didn't answer.

"Ack... ugh... ngh..." I let out strangled sounds of pain, clutching at my chest, hoping that would soothe the knives stabbing at me from the inside. My knees gave out and I started falling, but I felt something grab me and keep me from hitting the floor.

"Roma?! Romano, what's wrong? Is it your heart?! Does your chest hurt?!" Spain shouted. His arms were holding me up. I tried to answer, but all that came out were cries of pain. It wasn't the white hot stabbing that hurt the most. It was what it meant. I've felt this pain before, through many loops. _It can't be...! Not again, not again! I... No... Please stop! _I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. I wasn't supposed to go through this again. I promised myself that I wouldn't!

"It... hurts..." I managed to croak out to Spain. I couldn't see him, but I felt him tense. He knows what I mean. Then I felt it. The strong shock that hit my entire body at once, the unbearable pain that made it hard to breath, the feeling that I was being sawed in half. I let out a loud cry and tried to move, tried to curl up or lay on the cold floor or _something _that will stop the pain.

"ROMANO! Romano! Hold on!" Spain held me steady, kept me from rolling away or moving anymore. "Don't stand up! You're going to get killed!" I shook my head, wanting to beg him to _please _make it stop. I wanted to go back to the days where all that hurt me was falling over or guns or swords during war. In those days, I had my brother or Spain there to help me stop the pain, to help me forget. But my brother was the one causing this pain, and there was nothing that Spain could do to help.

"Ve—nezianooo!" I cried in despair as I felt his death, and with it, possibly my death. Would I die too, since I was in this place? If death meant that this torture was over, then I would take it, but I didn't want to die. I don't want to leave. I'm afraid of what I'll leave behind, of what will happen to me when I'm gone.

"**Get back!**" I heard Spain roar, and I saw a flash through my eyelids. My aching heart jumped in shock, since his voice was so close to me. I've never heard that much rage burst out of him. I didn't get a chance to dwell on the thought when the pain worsened. I let out another cry. "It's okay, Roma. You'll be okay." I heard Spain's normal voice. I tried to look at him through the tears in my eyes. I saw his pained face above mine. His body shifted and I felt myself get carried. I felt his axe press against me while it was in his hand. More pain, another cry, more blurring eyesight.

I suddenly felt him lowering his arms and setting me down on the floor. I felt something hold me upright. Bookshelves, by the way they felt against my back. The pain in my heart inside overcame the stabbing shelves. I cried again and felt Spain's arms disappear. "Stay here, Romano. I'll take care of it." Take care of it? Take care of what? I tried to ask, but the stabbing in my chest intensified with the racing of my heart. Through my tears, I saw Spain get up and hold his axe at the ready. I heard faint growling. I suddenly remembered the monsters. They were still there.

"Come and get me, demonios del infierno. You don't want him, you want me!" I heard Spain shout. I saw a faint glimmer from his axe as he spun it around. The realization hit me hard. He was going to fight the monsters alone, to protect me. Was he even strong enough for that?!

"Sp—Spai—" I tried to call out to him, but the attempt just made the pain worse. I doubled over, clawing at my chest. "N—no—Sp—nng!" It was getting harder and harder to breath, my insides felt like they were burning. It was too much. The last thing I managed to see was Spain lift his axe to slice at one of the monsters, the demons as he called them. Then the world went black.

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**Translation:**

**demonios del infierno: demons from hell**

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***holds out tissue box* I completely understand if you hate my guts for this chapter. I will be awaiting your raging reviews. I honestly cried writing this myself. The upcoming chapter will be the end of the first story arc. It should be less angsty than this, but keep the tissues out, just in case.**

**Rate and Review~**


	18. I Like Our Eyebrows Better

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

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_Slice!_ My halberd cut through the monsters with ease at first, but it was slowly getting harder and harder. To my dismay, more monsters decided to arrive after the two that showed up before Lovi's… inner troubles. I sighed, wanting to look back at my henchman so bad. I couldn't keep my eyes off the enemy, unfortunately. Not until they're all gone. I managed to kill the one I have been fighting and took a moment to rest my hands on my knees and catch my breath. I could feel the blood trickling along my legs and arm. England's portal was right beside me on the floor, dimmed of light. I had tried to activate it myself, but it wouldn't even light up like it did when I stepped on it earlier.

I closed my eyes when I heard a low growl above me. "Eesh, how many of them are there? Even Boss Spain's strength has limits!" I grumbled to myself, straightening up to look at the monster. It was one of those squid-looking ones, hovering with many legs. "You're the last one, right?" It didn't answer. I knew it wouldn't. I already could see that it was alone and none of its buddies were around the library. "Brace yourself, then! I'm in a hurry!" I scowled at the thing. It hissed and lunged at me, but I managed to parry and hit it multiple times. Summoning what little energy I still had, my axe glowed red and I used my special skill on it. The force of the attack managed to kill it and it gave me one last dirty look (I think) before it disappeared.

I was finally able to catch my breath and I listened hard for any more sounds. There was no more deep breathing, nor any creaky floorboards. It wasn't chilly anymore. I waited, but there was nothing. It was safe to say that there were no more monsters left. I sighed happily and beamed to myself. "Yeah! I win!" I twirled my halberd and punched my good fist into the air in success before turning around. "Lovi! Boss Spain killed them all!" I began, but stopped there as my smile turned into a frown.

Romano was laying right where I left him, just barely kept upright against the bookshelf. His shoulders were slumped and his head was lolled to the side, half against his shoulder and half against one of the shelves. His face was pale, the remnants of his tears dried on his cheeks. His eyes were closed. "Oh…" I breathed out, my heart jumping up into my throat in panic at the state of him. I dropped my weapon before kneeling in front of him and shaking him gently. He was very limp.

"Romano…" I murmured. No response. I put my ear close to his chest. His heartbeat was very slow, but I was happy that it was still there. His breathing was also very irregular. I leaned back and raised my hand to cup his cheek, lifting his face so it wasn't bending sideways. His face was cold, which freaked me out a little more. "Romano, don't you recognize me? Can't you hear me?" I raised my voice, just a little, hoping it would help. Once again, there was nothing. My thumb brushed the gritty salt trails on his face as I gritted my teeth. My free hand balled into a fist and hit the floor, ignoring the pain that shot up my arm.

"Damn it! The magical circle to go back disappeared all of a sudden and now Romano's like this...! Just what on Earth is going on?!" I shook my head, trying not to blink. This was not the time or place to get emotional, or get angry. I gazed over my companion once again and I felt a pang of sadness and anger hit me again when I looked at his face. It was too pale. I already missed the warm blush he had been sporting throughout the whole trip, the one I have been causing.

"Something must have happened to Ita and England... to say the least..." I pressed my lips together. Something definitely happened to Feli. What happened to Lovi is the same thing that always happened when Feli died while Lovi and I were still on the outside. I could close my eyes now and see the memory that abruptly came back to me when Lovi was writhing in my arms. I knew it was a past event. The surroundings were different. I recognized it as my own house. I also remembered feeling pleasantly confused. Lovi must've come unexpectedly. However, my heart sunk the exact same way as it did today when I saw Lovi collapse and start crying and writhing.

I reached over absentmindedly to readjust him against the bookshelf into a more comfortable position. His limp and unresponsive state worried me, but maybe his body just needs the rest. It was better than ripping my own insides to pieces while his insides were on fire. The worse part of it all, in both the sudden memory and what happened in here, was that I couldn't do anything but hold him. In the memory, he begged me to make it stop. All he said this time was that it hurt. I wonder if the Italian knew how much this hurt me, too.

I froze at a new sound. The door opening, footsteps, and creaky floorboards. I snatched my axe up and held it up defensively, standing in front of Lovi. If there were any more monsters, they would have to go through me to get us both. The footsteps became louder, closer. A figure stepped in sight. A green uniform stained in blood, blonde messy hair, bushy eyebrows framing a pair of green eyes. It was England. I gasped inwardly. Of all the times to get caught, it had to be now?! "Huh? What are you doing here? You weren't at the world meeting..." England frowned in confusion, eyeing my weapon. I slowly lowered it, but kept my guard up. Remembering what America had said, I carefully asked.

"Is that you, Kirkland?" England blinked, looking even _more _confused.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. I bit my lip. No... of course this isn't the England from our time loop. Shit, this is really bad. This was way worse than another enemy. We've been caught! There's no telling what this could do to the past.

"Isn't that Italy Romano?" England asked, trying to look around me. I tensed and stepped back instinctively closer to Lovi.

"I can't tell you." I told him. He stared at me.

"What?! But he looks just like—"

"L-listen" I stopped him, an idea brewing in my mind. "You have some strange powers, don't you? So, can't you give them to us?" I tried to sound as subtle as possible so I didn't tip him off. Maybe if I could get him to reactivate the portal…

"What are you talking about?" England furrowed his brows, looking from me to Romano and back.

"W-we..." I began, but stopped, trying to think of a good explanation. Should I just tell him to reactivate it? He might ask about where it came from, though. Asking him to find help for Romano is out of the question, since the only help that could be provided would get us into even more trouble. England impatiently waited for me to speak. "We..." I glanced back at Lovi, at his limp body and pale face. I swallowed. I was running out of options. "We come from the future!" I finally said when I looked at England. He stared at me blankly for a long moment.

"What? I still have no idea what you're on about." He frowned, looking at me like Lovi had when I was laughing earlier. I huffed, getting frustrated. I almost didn't want to tell him the truth, but I was getting desperate.

"Well, you see…"

**X-X-X**

I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. Either way, it was pitch black. I felt really fucking confused and scared. Where am I? Last thing I remember, I was in the huge library with Spain. And then… then I… My hands flew to my chest absentmindedly as I remembered the fire, the pain in my heart. I closed my eyes (or, I think I did) and let out a sigh. The pain was gone now and I could breathe again. That was a relief. I thought I would be dead too. But, where was I, then? I opened my eyes (I still can't tell) and slowly sat up. I should be in the library. Spain should be in front of me, with his stupid but very real smile. At the very least, he should be here, even if he moved me somewhere else. Maybe I really WAS dead. My hand grazed my pockets and I sighed. I hoped Spain was all right without me.

I slowly got to my feet and stood. Looking around, there was no source of light of any kind. It was all darkness. I couldn't even see myself. I spread out my arms and felt around, but I only touched air. I slid my foot along the floor. It felt smooth. I frowned to myself. Was this some type of limbo? Maybe it was a dream, but I didn't feel any of my memories pouring out of my head. Then again, I'm not sure if there are too many memories left to lose.

If this was a dream, it's not like my last one. I didn't see a light. I didn't see any new memories. I frowned, trying to think of what to do now. I guess a good start would be… walking. I took a step. Weirdly enough, it didn't make a sound. Would any sound be made here? "Hello?!" I called. My voice echoed this time. It sounded endless, but it eventually faded. I shuddered. This place was very big, then. I kept walking forward. Maybe I will reach something. "Romano." I froze at the faint sound of my name being called. I couldn't tell where it came from.

"Who's there?" I yelled. No answer came. I made a face. Maybe I just imagined it. I kept walking.

"Romano, stop." The voice came again. I froze immediately and looked around.

"Where are you?" I asked, almost to myself.

"You shouldn't wander off without me. Just stay here and let me handle this." The voice said, not answering my question. I blinked in confusion. What did it mean by, 'let me handle this'? Handle what?

"Who are you?" I asked. I jumped when the voice sounded closer.

"Don't worry about it, Romano. I'll be right back and we'll go home together." The voice came again, a little further away from me. I tried to place it. It was a young voice, somewhere between teenager and adult. It sounded stern yet light and optimistic. It reminded me a little of America and Veneziano mixed together.

Something made a rustling sound, like cloth brushing together. I was starting to get pissed, but I kept my mouth shut for now. Suddenly, there was a woosh of air and squelching sounds, like something thick being sliced. There was a growl that echoed and a thud. Then, silence. More rustling that grew louder, closer. "Come on, time to go back." I felt something warm grab my hand and tug backwards. I turned and felt myself being led away towards the way I just came.

"W-wait a minute, I don't understand, dammit. Where am I? Who are you? What did you just do?" I rattled on and on until I felt the hand (I'm assuming it's a hand) squeeze my own.

"All you need to know, Romano, is that you should never stray from me like that again."

"What?" I blinked.

"Don't run off like that. I need you to stay close so I can protect you. Don't let me worry about you like that again." The soft tone the voice took on finally registered in my mind. I've heard it before, many times before, but not for a long time.

"Y-you're…" I breathed. I couldn't finish. The hand squeezed mine again and just continued leading me in silence. I was startled to see a light ahead. It was just like the one in my dream. I headed towards it, not noticing at first that I let go of the hand leading me. I heard it following, though. When I reached the light, it seemed to flutter. I let myself smile a little and put my hand on it. It was warm, as suspected, and relaxed my muscles. Underneath, I saw another hand, slightly more tanned than mine but just about the same size, come from underneath and meet mine, trapping the light. The light began to glow brighter through my fingertips. I looked up the arm connected to the hand and at the face of the owner. All I managed to see was a warm shade of green before the light made me close my eyes.

**X-X-X**

"S-so, what I'm trying to say is—"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I looked up from my hands, which I have been staring at through the whole explanation, to look at England. I blinked at his expression. He looked like he was about to blow from anger.

"What?"

"What the hell? Italy has rewound time? And you come from the future, and you want me to send you back?!" He shouted, outraged. I winced and nodded frantically.

"Y-yes! And I think something really bad has happened in our world! That's why I also want you to share some of your power with the England from our world—"

"Enough!" England snapped. I sucked in a shocked breath and fell silent. "Maybe this is just another past world to you" He said in a quiet, dangerous voice, stepping a little closer to me. "But to me, this world is everything!"

"Oh…" I bit my lip and tried to run through what I said for something that would've insulted him.

"And you're telling me to give you my magic, or else it'll go to waste because this world will definitely go into a time loop?" I blinked and raised my hands defensively when he came closer.

"N-no... I never said it'd come to that." I stammered.

"So, you're telling me to sacrifice this world?!" He shouted in my face. My voice died in my throat. I didn't know what to say. He snorted bitterly and stepped back. "Thank you so much for telling me how it works! We're in a critical situation, too!" He turned and stalked towards the door. "We have no time to care about you!"

"England…" I called, but didn't continue. I had no clue what I could say. I heard him stop, but when I didn't say anything, I heard him rip the door open.

"I have nothing to do with your damn world!" I flinched when the door slammed shut again. There was a long silence in the room. I ran my hand through my hair. Oh, God. I guess my explanation was really that bad. I ended up telling him everything because I was sure he would send us back, but... There's no guarantee that all time loops are the same. I sighed, wishing once again that Lovi was awake. He would've been able to explain way better than I could. Maybe it would've been better that way.

"S...pain..." I blinked and turned around right away when I heard my name being called, so quietly that I almost missed it. My eyes met with a partially open pair of golden brown eyes.

"Lovi!" I dropped down to my knees next to him.

"Sorry... Something... suddenly..." His voice was very soft, as if he were afraid to talk.

"Is your heart okay?! Can you breathe all right?" I tilted my head to listen to his heartbeat. It was still slow but faster than it was before. I sighed in relief and sat up to cup his face again and examine him carefully. His face felt warm again.

"I'm... I'm fine. I don't really get it, but I think I was in an empty place and someone helped me..." He looked away, looking uncertain. I wanted to ask for more details, but that would probably be pushing it. I didn't mind; I was just happy to see that red color on his face again.

"Well, then... can you stand up?" I asked, letting go of his face. He nodded slowly.

"Uh-huh." I held out my arms and he took them, letting me help him to his feet. His grip was right over one of my wounds and I couldn't hold back a small hiss. "You're hurt." He noticed, then slowly looked around. "And... what about the monsters?"

"Boss Spain killed them all, all on his own!" I beamed at him, making sure he was steady before letting my arms drop. He was staring at me with a strangely hurt expression, silent for a long moment.

"Spain…" he finally uttered.

"Hm? What is it?" I frowned, concerned. Was he still hurt somewhere? Was there something troubling he just thought of?

"I…" He began, voice faltering. He slowly paced away while grumbling to himself. I waited patiently for him to continue. "I… I'm the only one who's completely useless!" He finally exploded out. I stared at him in confusion. He continued, pacing in front of me. "Everyone else has found their own role, and yet, I... I can't help but wonder what I'm doing..."

"Romano…" I started to argue, but he cut me off.

"Veneziano has been doing all he can, and the potato-head, too, and that English bastard…What am I doing here?! Why did I have the idea to come here?!" He shook his head and clutched his forehead. "I thought, by coming here, I could help my brother and save him. But all I've done is add to everyone's stress, make everyone worried about one more person getting killed. I even dragged YOU into this." He looked up at me, tears filling his eyes. "But no one has to worry about you. You're strong enough to handle yourself. You don't even need me around."

A long silence followed where we stared at each other and said nothing. Finally, he broke the contact and looked away, rubbing at his eyes with his arm. I reached out gently and pulled his sleeve. "Do you want to be praised by someone?" He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"What?"

"Do you want someone to tell you what to do and then praise you for doing a great job?" I gently grabbed his arm and lowered it from his eyes so I could hold his hand. "If you want to be told what to do, I can think of many things for you to do. If you accomplish them, will that make you happy?" I murmured. He stared at our hands for a moment, his cheeks that deep red that I had missed.

"No." He finally muttered. "That may be the easy way, but... it's not quite what I had in mind, I guess..."

"Huh?" I tilted my head, confused now by his intentions. He sighed softly and glanced up at me.

"Isn't there anything that no one but me can do? As if I were the only one..." He trailed off, but I nodded. I knew what he meant.

"Right." I confirmed.

"B-but I... I want to do something for him now!" He declared.

"But don't you remember, Romano?" I squeezed his hand, which made him flinch a bit for a moment. "One of the reasons why Ita's heart became lighter was because you came here for him."

"But he told me not to come."

"Aren't you both Italy? It makes me worried that you're risking your life, but I think it's very reassuring that you're here for your brother." I reached up with my other hand to ruffle his hair. "You've been helping your little brother so much; compared to you, I'm the one who's that." I chuckled slightly. "As much as I show off, I get defeated pretty quickly!" Lovi snorted at that.

"Don't flatter yourself." He yanked his hand from mine and used it to bat my other hand from his hair. I laughed softly.

"Well, I think there must be something that only Boss Spain can do, too, but..." I shrugged. "I guess I must be the most useless of all." Lovi opened his mouth to say something, then closed it for a moment and looked away again, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to come here, so... I guess you're not completely useless." He mumbled nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulder. I half-smiled at the cute action.

"Oh? Really? What did I do?" I wondered.

"If it weren't for your wit, we wouldn't have assembled everyone and got them to come here, either..." My eyebrow rose. Wit as in using my axe on Austria? "And even now..." He took a deep breath and looked straight at me. "If it weren't for your advice, I'd probably be doing something really fucking stupid. That's why I'm… really glad that you're here for me, tomato bastard." I felt my heart leap with joy at his kind words, hidden within those strings of curses, as well as the cute red color his face was turning. I reached over and poked him.

"So I can actually help?"

"Th-that's what I said, dammit. I'm not repeating myself!" He snapped, annoyed. I chuckled.

"Is that proof enough, then?"

"Proof for what?"

"No one is unneeded. There will definitely come a time when someone is needed for something, like now." I reached over and put a hand on his cheek again, brushing away a bit of salt water. "You just need to be patient, you know. Even if you feel sad." I expected him to push my hand away, but he just stared at me with soft but unreadable eyes. I smiled softly. "You know another way that you're useful?"

"Mm?" He grumbled, looking down at the floor now.

"You give me a purpose for staying here." He eyed me in confusion, so I continued. "Everyone else is here because they are trapped, but we came here willingly. You and I are the only ones who have a purpose here. We both have someone we want to protect. You came here for your brother…" I reached over and pulled him into a hug. He made a sound of surprise. "But I came here for you." I finished. He stayed quiet for a long, long time. To my surprise, though, he raised his arms and actually hugged me back. I can't even remember the last time this has happened. Lovi wasn't a hugging type of person. Ahaha, I wished I had a camera to document this moment.

As expected, it took no time at all for Lovi to slide his hands to my chest and start shoving me away. I leaned away in compliance and just smiled at him. His face looked like it was close to exploding from embaressment. It was just adorable. "A-anyway, enough with the sentimental shit, bastard. We have to get back to our own time. From the looks of that, though—" He pointed to the dim portal. "That can't happen."

"Ah, no, it can't. It dimmed around the time you collapsed. Something must've happened to the England in our time, and I couldn't get the England from this time to—"

"Wait!" He cut me off, looking at me in shock. "The England from _this _time? You called him here?!"

"What? No! He came here himself and found us here right after I killed all the monsters." I defended.

"You IDIOT! Why didn't you hide?!" Lovi shouted at me, looking panicked.

"I couldn't just leave you lying here! Besides, there's no way to hide here with only one pathway in the entire room. We were going to get caught no matter what." I said. He looked like he wanted to argue, but his shoulders slumped and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What did you tell him?"

"W-well, I didn't want to tell him about the time loops, but I didn't know what else to do. You were unconscious and not breathing very well, the portal was closed, I was tired and wounded—"

"Spain." He looked up at me again with hard eyes. "What did you tell him?"

"Um… I told him about the different time loops, about what happened to you, the portal, and then I asked him if he could loan us his magic so we can give it to the England in our time once he fixed the portal, since time was going to be turned back here anyway. He yelled at me and said he wanted nothing to do with us." I finished off, then waited for Lovi to respond. He stared at me for a long time, wringing his hands slightly and opening and closing his mouth for a moment before his lips slowly curled into a pleasant smile. It put a chill in my spine.

"Spain, come here for a second." He beckoned me over to him. I shuffled closer to him. He lifted a fist and brought it down on top of my head.

"Ow!" I clutched and rubbed my head. "What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot! For God's sake, Spain, you can't just ask someone to do that! This time loop may not mean a hell of a lot to us, but it means a hell of a lot to the people in this time. They think this is their only chance to survive. By telling England that time will be turned back anyway, not only did you tell him that that is wrong, you basically told him that someone in this time loop was going to die."

"A-ah…" I frowned. That was exactly what England had said. "I guess I could've phrased it better."

"No shit." Lovi rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Whatever. Since no one has come here yet, England probably didn't tell anyone else about us. While the portal is closed, we're just going to have to wait." He walked over and sat down against the bookshelves. I slowly joined him, sitting down beside him but giving him space. He didn't complain or yell at me, so I stayed where I was. Now, we wait.

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**That is officially the end of the first arc. I hope you enjoyed my version of the events of the original HetaOni. From here on out, it's going to be my story lines. That means that, if the original HetaOni comes out with a similar story line or there is a different story with similarities to my story arcs, it is purely coincidental. See you guys next week!**

**Rate and Review~**


	19. Be the Bookshelf

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**Sorry that this is late. It took a while to finish, because of life and issues and shit happening. Ah well. Please enjoy.**

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"Where's my gun?"

"Hm?" I looked over at Lovi. I can't tell how much time has passed since we sat down. It felt like a very long time. All was quiet in the huge library. There were no sounds outside, aside from the occasional floorboard creaks as the nations of this time passed by the room. No one went in, which was strange but a huge relief. The portal was still dim and I was really growing bored. I entertained myself by watching Lovi and poking him, but I had to find another method when he kicked me and told me off for being a 'creepy bastard'. I settled for looking through the books on the shelves.

"My gun. Where is it?" Lovi asked again. He hadn't moved since we sat down. I saw him nodding off every so often, but he always jolted awake and changed positions. I told him that he could sleep if he wanted to, but he just kept scowling and saying he was fine. He seemed almost afraid to close his eyes. Truthfully, I was a little scared of that too.

"Umm…" I thought for a moment, trying to remember. I had forgotten about his gun. I remember that he had dropped it when he collapsed, but I haven't seen it since. "I just remember you dropping it. I didn't pay attention."

"Why not?! That was my only weapon, you bastard!" Lovi glared at me. I frowned and looked down and back at the books.

"I'm sorry. I was more pressing concerns." I told him softly. He fell silent. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye just in time to see his softened face before he looked away and sighed.

"The potato is going to kill me if I don't bring it back." He slowly got up, stretching, and started looking around on the floor, getting on his knees to look under the book shelves. I went back to looking through the books. It was amazing how many of them were in different languages. I recognized 3 with Russian titles, 5 American titles, a few Scandinavian titles, and one Spanish book. I pulled it out and flipped through it. It didn't look familiar, but the binding was amazingly new.

I paused in my flipping and looked around. I heard a faint sound. "Lovi, did you hear something?" I asked gently. He was still scanning the floor.

"Hear what?" He asked, looking up at me. I put my finger to my own lips and listened hard. There it was again. A faint creak. I felt goosebumps rise on my arms. Was it another monster? Was it a nation? I didn't even hear the door open! Without a second thought, I leapt up, ran to Lovi, hauled him to his feet, and pressed us both against a bookshelf. My arm was stretched in front of Lovi, both to protect him and to keep him pushed back. As I did, I heard a creak closer to us, in the row next to us.

"You idiot, wha—" Lovi began. I shushed him as quietly as I could. He lowered his voice. "_What are you doing? It's still going to see us._" I didn't have a chance to answer him. A huge shadow loomed over the row. It was one of the big ones, with a body bigger than its head. Its black, empty eyes looked down the row, claws and talons huge and posed for the kill. My limbs had frozen and I felt Lovi hold his breath. I waited for the monster to growl and come at us.

It took a step forward and moved its head to look around, from one end of the row to the next. Its eyes fell right on me and Lovi, but… they seemed to look right through us. It gave a snort, like some animal, and turned to continue to the next row. I felt relief and confusion run through me, but neither I nor Lovi dared to move until we heard the other door open and close gently. "Que?" I finally uttered, dropping my arm. Lovi loudly let out the breath he held.

"I feel like Canada now." he grumbled, but his expression was just as puzzled as mine.

"Right? Why did it just ignore us?" I wondered out loud.

"Maybe…" Lovi began, but stopped, pursing his lips. I waited for him to say more. "Maybe it's like a bull?"

"Hm?" I stared at him. He sighed in annoyance.

"Geez, I thought you'd know everything about bulls. It's your national animal! Bulls can only see movement."

"Ohh, I did know that, but I didn't know what you meant." I smiled sheepishly, then thought about that. "So, these things can only see us if we are moving?"

"If you think about it, it makes sense. In the annex, the monster didn't attack me, Japan, and Prussia until we backed away from it. In the hallway, it growled once people turned around. Canada avoided it by standing completely still and not speaking." Lovi pointed out. I nodded along. "There were even times when we attacked first."

"Si, that's true. Well, this is an interesting discovery, Lovi." I grinned. "When we get back, all we have to do is tell the others not to move when they know a monster is nearby." Lovi raised an eyebrow.

"That should be interesting." He muttered. I laughed a little. I can just imagine the looks on the nations' faces when we tell them they have to stand still in front of an enemy. It's almost unheard of. The thought seemed alien even to me. "Well, now that it's gone, I should keep looking for the gun." He started walking off toward the isle.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I grabbed my axe from the floor (I just realized that I left it there. Dios, if that thing had attacked…) and started after him.

"Just the next row over. Maybe my gun slid under the bookshelf to the other side." Lovi answered, shooting me a glare but not protesting when I followed. We both came to the next row. Sure enough, right in the middle of the floor was his gun.

"Good work. Hey, should we stay here any longer or move somewhere else?" I asked. He suddenly blinked, as if in a trance, and looked at me.

"Huh? Um, we should stay here in case the portal works again." He walked over and grabbed his gun.

"Okay. Hey, you hungry?" We walked back to the other row together as I got my pouch of food. He looked like he was going to say no, but simple sat down and held his hand out. I smiled and dug out tomatoes for us both.

**X-X-X**

After we ate, we continued to sit in peaceful silence. I dug out the Spanish book that I had found and started reading it. It was really nice. I was surprised that I had never heard of it. It was about an immigrant girl during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish was a little crappy, but the story is beautiful so far. Meanwhile, Lovi had finally fallen asleep. I guess his boredom finally took its toll.

I was starting a new chapter and was almost too engrossed to notice Lovi suddenly tip over and lay against me, his head on my shoulder. I froze and looked down at him carefully. I had to swallow a squeal. His sleeping face was so cute. It wasn't like when he had collapsed at all. His face then still showed signs of his pain. I could see the tears he shed, the paleness of his cold cheeks. This face was more peaceful, relaxed, the red hue of his cheeks was there. He was more alive, and that made me very happy.

He uttered a small, incomprehensible murmur and adjusted his face comfortably, his cheek rubbing my shoulder. I chuckled inwardly. I remembered vaguely, when he was a child, he had a tendency to bury himself when he slept. It was adorable. I looked at his relaxed expression for a while. This whole trip had been a mix of stress and fun for both of us. Not just here in the past, but also in our own time. It was touching to see Lovi finally get to relax.

My heart felt very warm and light. I remembered his words from earlier, how he was really glad that I was here with him. Now this, the fact that he trusts me enough to fall asleep in this place. He knows that I would protect him, and he's absolutely correct. Carefully, I moved my arm to encircle him but not touch him, letting him rest more comfortably at my side. I was so ecstatic. This felt right, for some reason. I couldn't place it, but I didn't try to think about it either. I'd much rather enjoy the moment.

I didn't even notice that I had fallen asleep. All of a sudden, something was shaking me and I was aware that my eyes were closed. I opened them to see Lovi, awake and slightly annoyed, trying to wake me. "Oy, bastard, are you awake yet?" I beamed. What a nice way to wake up~.

"Si, I'm awake~. What time is it?" I sat up more, wincing when I finally felt the numb sting from the bookshelves, and stretched. Lovi stood up.

"No idea, but I heard voices outside. It sounds like everyone is searching the mansion again. If we stay here, there's a better chance they'll find us."

"Ah, right." I nodded seriously and stood. "Where do you suggest?"

"The piano room should be safe. Veneziano said he kept everyone out of there for the first few loops." Lovi grabbed his gun off the ground and started to walk to the door. I followed carefully.

"We couldn't get into the room last time, though." I pointed out.

"Well, maybe now, it's not jammed." Lovi responded. I felt confused, but I couldn't question him. We snuck across the hall when we didn't hear anyone coming and went to the piano room door. Lovi grasped the handle and turned it gently. It made no sound and, surprisingly, it opened this time. We swiftly made our way in and shut the door tightly behind us.

"So it was jammed earlier?" I asked.

"This room never had a key. The door just jammed, until some_thing _fixed it." He walked over to the piano bench and sat down with a huff. I walked over to join him, standing instead of sitting.

"How did you know that?" I asked him. He didn't speak for a long moment.

"There's no key-shaped lock on the handle, and I've never seen Veneziano use one." Lovi shrugged, examining the lines on the white floor. I frowned. Ah, he must've had past memories of this room. Painful ones, it seems. Why does every inch of this house have to be covered in pain, sorrow, and death? Even a war-savvy nation can't take much more of this. A few footsteps sounded outside and I saw Lovi tense.

"Dammit, if you hadn't let me fall asleep, we would've had more time to move!" he grumbled.

"Why are you blaming me? You are the one who fell asleep." I pouted, offended by the accusation. "And you needed the rest. We both did."

"We can sleep on our own time, and in separate beds, since you can't keep your damn hands to yourself anyway!"

"I was only making you more comfortable!"

A clatter outside startled us both. Lovi jumped to his feet and my hands went straight for my axe. There were urgent voices coming from the hallway. "_Come quick!_", "_what happened?!_", "_Hurry! Before it gets out of hand!_"

"I wonder what happened." I murmured, mostly to myself.

"I don't know…" Lovi started slowly toward the door. I quickly grabbed his arm.

"No, Lovi, we'll get caught if we go out there!" I warned. Lovi tried to shake me off.

"I'm just going to take a look. I'll be back soon." I shook my head.

"I'm coming with you if you are." I told him firmly. He opened his mouth to protest, growled in his throat, and let his arm relax. I let it go and we both went to the door to listen. There were no more voices, so we opened the door and went out into the hall. Carefully, we peeked over the railing of the stairs down to the second floor. We heard faint crashing sounds coming from there and scattered shouts.

"Should we go down there?" I murmured to Lovi, eyeing the stairs cautiously. When I didn't get an answer, I looked up at him. "Lovi, should we—?" I stopped cold. He was clutching at his chest, eyes squeezed shut and breathing labored. I reached out and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him a little. My mind was reeling. What was happening now? Was it Feli again? "Lovi? Lovi. Are you okay? Do you hurt?"

"I—I'm—" He tried to speak, but each word seemed to hurt him. He winced and opened his eyes a little to look at me. They were filled with hurt. "S—Sp—"

"I'm here, it's okay." I soothed him, trying to smile at least a little, but my face wouldn't cooperate. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish, breathing getting heavier, before his eyes fluttered and slid close and he fell forward against me. There was a clatter at my feet as something was dropped, but I could care less. "Shit!" I turned him so he was balanced against one arm as I bent and picked up his legs in the other. I had to get him to a safe location before we're found. I cradled him against my chest and walked slowly back to the piano room.

**X-X-X**

Thankfully, this room was more than just bookshelf walls, so I was able to prop Lovi up against the wall comfortably. I considered sitting next to him and letting him rest his head on my shoulder again, but then I run the risk of angering him when he wakes. I sat looking at him for a long while. He looked better than the last time. There was color in his face and his heartbeat was considerably even, if a little faster than normal. He was still limp and his breathing was harsh. I frowned to myself. What could've happened this time?

All was quiet outside, and that made me a little uneasy. There was so much commotion out there earlier, just as Lovi collapsed. Is what happened the reason for him fainting? I bit my lip and weighed my options. I wanted to go investigate, but I didn't want to leave Lovi alone or risk getting caught and having to explain again. Then again, if what happened to Lovi WAS a result of what happened in this time, maybe it will help me know what to do to help. Besides, I would be right outside the door. I don't think I'll be able to get to the second floor itself even if I had Lovi with me.

I grabbed my axe, prayed to God, gave Lovi a small kiss on the head, and went out into the hallway before I changed my mind. It was empty, as expected. I slowly crept to the railing and listened hard for any sound. "…_I've taken care of the room. And his wounds, too, sort of. France has been holding up pretty well, but... Germany is still very disoriented..._" It was England's voice. Whose wounds? Francis and Germany… is it Gilbert who got hurt? I swallowed at the thought.

"_West, wait! Listen to me!_" That was Gilbert's voice. He sounds fine. A little shaken and alarmed, but fine. So he wasn't hurt seriously, then.

"_G-Germany..._" I heard Japan stammer. He sounded nervous.

"_Japan... Do you know... where Italy is? My brother told me Italy is gone... You... know it isn't true, right?_" I closed my eyes. So it was Feli. This was one of the times where Feli had died. So England will be turning back time soon.

"_Let's go to another room. We have other things to do. We have to find out the meaning of that journal—_" I heard Russia slowly state.

"_Why? We still have to look for Italy. Are you saying that he doesn't matter?_" Germany said with anger in his voice. He sounded off. In denial, maybe?

"_No... That's not what I meant... I know you don't want to accept it, but if you don't accept that he's dead, how much time do you think we're going to waste—_"

"_Don't you dare say the same thing as my brother!_" Germany shouted. There was a short pause before Russia spoke, stern and annoyed.

"_I'll be blunt. He's dead. If you have nothing better to do than stand there, then you should try finding a way to get out of here as quickly as possible. He's not coming back!_"

"_You son of a bitch!_" There was a loud _**slap **_that echoed through the hall.

"_That's enough, West!"_ Gilbert snapped at his younger brother. "_Are you numb?! You're misjudging an accurate decision!_"

"_You're not the only one who's grieving._" China spoke up, his voice shaky. There was another pause.

"_Let's go. We'd better go to another room to investigate about the journal._" Gilbert said. I saw two shadows over the bottom steps and swiftly retreated to the piano room. I made sure the door was closed tightly before walking to where Lovi was. He was still unconscious, in the same place I left him in. I heard footsteps passing by the door, but it sounds like they were headed to the fourth floor. I sighed and sat down next to Lovi. So Feli was dead in this time. Lovi must be reacting to his death while he is in this time period. Since he wasn't of this time, either, the reaction is smaller than usual. At least it wasn't serious. He should be fine in a few minutes... or so I hope. I sighed and pursed my lips, thinking about the conversation the nations had. No nation had died in our time yet, or so I hope. I couldn't begin to understand their pain. Gilbert had never been that angry, even with Austria or Hungary. Russia actually sounded wounded. Germany… he was one of the most able-minded nations—no, man—I knew and he sounded completely broken. Losing Feli, his best friend, made him that way.

I wondered how I would react. Would I be angry like Gilbert? Broken like Germany? Would I cry, or would I not be able to shed any tears? Would the emotions come now or later? In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think that it depends on who dies. If it were my best friends, Francis, Feli, Germany, or Gilbert, I would feel devastated. I would grieve for England and America. I glanced over at the younger nation beside me. If it were Lovi, I would react like Germany. I would refuse to believe it. I'd go completely mad. I would slowly break down, because not only does that mean that I have failed to protect him and failed to fulfill my only purpose here, but also because I have lost someone who is very dear to me.

I have promised Lovi that I would protect him, even long before this mansion existed, when he was still under my rule. I have always kept that promise, because he trusted me to. Now, under this cursed roof, I keep my promise because I can't bear to lose him. He always tells me that he can handle everything alone, but that is precisely how Feli kept getting killed. I half smiled. Thinking of Feli made me remember of his warning before he had left for the annex. _Take care of mi fratello, okay? Even if he doesn't want to be taken care of._ I would have done that even if he hadn't told me.

A rumble brought me out of my thoughts. I looked around in confusion, half wondering if I had fallen asleep again. I blinked when I realized that everything in the room was trembling and the floor underneath me was vibrating up my body. The ground was shaking! Was it an earthquake? I wrapped my arms around Lovi and held him close when the shaking intensified, but it was gone and the room still as soon as it happened. I listened for more, but there was just silence. I let Lovi rest against the wall again, checking over him. He was growing better, his breathing getting more normal. The earthquake, or whatever it was, didn't seem to affect him. When Lovi was dubbed safe and secure, I stood and grabbed my axe from my back to creep out into the hallway. Whatever happened was the result of one of the nations of this time, but what exactly was it that happened?

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**Fun facts about bulls: they don't get angry about the color red. They are colorblind and generally blind altogether. They can only detect movement and, like any animal, if they see something flapping wildly, like a bullfighter's red cloth, they will mistake it for prey and run to catch/kill it. They are also considered Spain's national animal.**

**Fun fact about this story: I have thought ahead about the motion-detection for the Ao Onis, but I didn't look up what animals had the same condition until I started writing this chapter. The fact that the bull was the first thing that came up was a very awesome coincidence.**

**Rate and Review~**


	20. There's No Time like the Present

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**Romano comes back to PoV toward the end of this chapter.**

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"_Look, let's go back! I told you, we can't stay here! It was my bad! Come on, let's go back!"_

"_We told you you didn't have to come. If you really didn't want to, why did you—"_

"_I told you! This house is dangerous! I've seen it! We're going to be attacked by a huge monster and everyone is going to die! It's true, I'm telling you!"_

"_Haha! What the hell? We are going to die? We're nations! You didn't have to follow us here if you were that scared. That's very unlike you."_

"_Germany..."_

"_You were having a siesta before the meeting, weren't you? Perhaps you are still half-asleep?"_

"_Even you, Japan..." _I stood by the railing to the stairs, out of sight and listening in on the familiar conversation. Feli's desperate voice fanatically tried to stop his friends from staying in the cursed mansion, while his own friends made him out as the silly little Italian he has always been. Anyone would've made that mistake. No one has ever suspected that a nation could ever change.

It has been only a few minutes since the earthquake. When I came out here, axe at the ready, everything was all too quiet. I took a bigger risk and went down to the second floor. There was nothing. Only moments ago, the front door opened and curious nations wandered in, their voices floating up the stairs. The conversation was familiar to me, and I almost expected Roma to be next to me, digging his nails into my hand because of the treatment his brother was going through. I had to look up a few times before I remembered that he was unconscious upstairs, not next to me. I have to get back to him soon, too.

"_... Even if you say so... it will be easier to search for them if we split up and agree on a time to meet here again, don't you think?_

_Oh, that sounds good to me. I don't want to stick with you all the time, and if each one goes where he likes, we can tell each other about the places we searched later."_

"_Don't!"_ I heard Feli start to cry and my eyes closed of their own accord. The sounds absolutely broke my heart. Poor Feli. His situation is the worse of any of us. What has he done to deserve this? What has any of us done?

"_What? Why are you crying? It's the best way! If we huddle together to look—"_

"_You're the only one who's opposed to it. What are you so scared of? I'm sorry, but I'm going now."_

"_Germany! I told you not to go there! Don't go to the basement!"_

"_I'm going, too. Let's meet again here in one hour." _I opened my eyes and slowly started moving upstairs. I knew America and Japan would start walking up to the second and fourth floor. I had to get Lovi and stay in the piano room until it was safe to check on the portal again. My shoulders felt a little heavy for some reason. I rubbed an eye and walked toward the room as I heard America and Japan arrive on the second floor. I opened the door as quietly as I could and closed it tightly behind me.

My eyes scanned the room. It was the same as I had left it. The white piano in the middle, the small bookcases, Lovi laying against the wall. I breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that the room hasn't changed made me feel better; my shoulders less heavy. I crossed the room and grabbed a chair, dragging it back to the door and propping it up under the handle. I couldn't take the chances of being found again, especially with Lovi still knocked-out. Out of the two of us, he'd be able to explain better.

When I felt satisfied with the door, I walked over and kneeled in front of Lovi. He looked a little better. His breathing had calmed and he looked like he was asleep. A hand against his forehead told me that he was still at a normal temperature. I smiled and sat down beside him. All that was left to do now is wait for him to wake up and come up with a plan. We can't stay in the past and dodge the other nations for God-knows how many loops. We need to get back to the present time and figured out what happened to Feli and England.

England... I wonder if he knows what is going on in this time loop. There's no mistake that he is the one who turned back time in Feli's place. If Feli remembers everything from always turning back time, does that work for others as well? Lovi is the exception to the rule, being connected to Feli on various levels. Does England have someone like that? The only person that England is close to, that I am aware of, is America and maybe his brothers. If America shares England's memories at all, he doesn't show it. I didn't know much about his brothers, so I cannot speak for them.

I turned my axe around in my hands and frowned to myself. I was itching to go do something. Fight a monster, explore some more, find something. It would be better than to sit around here and do nothing. My fingers gripped my weapon harshly. I've used this halberd for many centuries. I had another, my very first one, stashed somewhere in my home. It is smaller than this one and easier to carry around. I couldn't find it when Lovi asked me to come back to the meeting place with him, unfortunately. I had to settle for this bigger one. It did the job perfectly once I sharpened it, but I still missed my old one.

"Mmng." Lovi grumbled, eyes and mouth twitching a little. I watched him anxiously. His small fidgeting was a tell-tale sign that he was going to wake up. After a few more moments of moving and yawning, I saw one of his eyes opened a crack and look forward. I refrained from saying anything, no matter how much I wanted to, and just waited for him to see me first. He blinked slowly, staring blankly into space for a long time. Slowly, his eyes came into focus. He sat up straight as an arrow and looked around in shock, from one end of the room to the other. He finally looked beside him, a word forming on his lips but I couldn't tell what it was. It faltered there and he sighed softly, looking almost relieved.

"Good morning, Lovi." I smiled cheerfully. I was really happy now, knowing Lovi was okay. Any weight left on my shoulders was lifted.

"…Hey." He murmured slowly.

"How are you feeling?" I sat up more from my slumped position against the wall (and feeling sore once I did). He frowned in thought for a moment before pushing his hair back.

"Like I ate some week-old pasta and was knocked out with a hammer." He groaned. My eyebrow rose at the interesting picture that statement painted. "What the hell happened?"

"The Feli in this time died." I stated sadly. He looked up at me in shock. "Since you're not of the same time, the pain wasn't as bad as when our Feli…" I trailed off. It's unfair to say that our Feli has died. We don't know what happened yet, so we can't assume anything. Meanwhile, Lovi was nodding.

"That makes sense, I guess. But, if Veneziano died, then…"

"England has already turned back time. The nations are searching the mansion now, for the first time… I guess…" I tried thinking that through. Time gets very confusing.

"Ugh, fan-fucking-tastic." He put his head into his hand, rubbing his eyes. I patted his back.

"It's not so bad. We just have to wait a little longer than usual." I smiled, optimistic. The grumpy Italian needed it. It didn't work well—he glared at me out the corner of his eye, but he didn't say anything. "I haven't seen any monsters yet, but I'm sure that, with all the rest I've gotten, I can handle anything that you throw at me. Just you wait, Lovi."

"Spain." I paused in my rambling. He had raised his head and was staring at me. The look in his golden brown eyes was different. "How long were you here?"

"Um, what do you mean?" I tilted my head, thoroughly confused. He got annoyed right away.

"You know what I mean! Have you been here—" He pointed to where I was sitting. "—the entire time?"

"Oh." I let out a small nervous laugh. "Well, there were times I had to leave the room, like when time was turned back and I went to see what was going on and—"

"Just answer the damn question, bastard!" He demanded loudly. I took a deep breath and offered my nicest smile.

"I was at your side the entire time, Lovi." Hm, it amazed me how strong and sure I sounded. Lovi looked amazed as well, and very red. Has his face been that pale the entire time? "It's not like I could leave whenever I wanted to, and I couldn't leave you alone and defenseless here either."

"Point taken." He shrugged a shoulder and crossed his arms across his chest. "Thanks for not letting me die, I guess." I chuckled at the choice of words and reached up to ruffle his hair.

"Anytime, Lovi. Anytime and anything."

"Mm." He batted my hand away and looked around the room for a moment. "Hey… where's my gun?" I froze and bit my lip. Oh, right, I forgot about that. Well, crap.

"Um…"

"Spain, where is my gun?!"

"Shh, Lovi, calm down. They'll hear us." I silenced him. He gave me a death glare but stayed quiet, waiting. I stood slowly. "Well, when you fell unconscious, you dropped your gun again. I didn't have time to get it until after England turned back time and—"

"Get to the point, Spain." He stood up as well as I walked over to the piano. His voice was both impatient and wary.

"Your gun sort of… slipped through the railings and fell down to the second floor." I chuckled nervously and grabbed the two parts of the gun from the piano bench. The barrel had snapped almost exactly in half, the metal around the broken area strangely brittle. Lovi stared at it for a long moment before he made a strangled sound in his throat and walked over to grab the pieces. He examined them in shock, feeling at the edges. After what felt like forever, he finally looked up at me. There was a murderous glint in his eye.

"Eheh… Lovi?" I started backing away slowly. He threw down the gun with a _clang_. I winced and words came out in a rush as he slowly stalked toward me. "N—now Lovi, it was an accident! It wasn't my fault! It fell and it was already broken when I found it! Also, I'm the only one of us left with a weapon and so I am the only one who can protect you so _don't kill me_!" I held up my hands defensively when he stopped, a few feet away. I could hear him grinding his teeth, but he was slowly calming down.

Suddenly, he let out a small whine and buried his face in his hands. The sight made me want to cry. I reached out and yanked Lovi into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Lovi. So so sorry. Please forgive me. I tried to fix it, but I don't know much about fixing guns and I didn't have the things needed to fix it and—"

"Stop." Lovi interrupted, putting his hands on my chest and pushing me away gently. "Stop with the apologizing and shit. You're forgiven already, so stop sobbing into my hair." I sighed in relief and smiled a tiny bit.

"Okay, Lovi." I stepped back and he dropped his arms, lips pursed.

"So now, I have no weapon." He sighed and looked down at the broken gun. "The potato bastard is going to kill me."

"If we ever get back." I added.

"Perhaps I can help with that, then?" A new but familiar voice startled us both. We looked at each other, then at the door. A small smirk, green uniform, bushy eyebrows. It was England.

**X-X-X**

"You two wankers sure make a lot of noise." England chuckled, waltzing in like he fucking owned the place, closing the door behind him. I gritted my teeth. I didn't have the patience for this; I woke up from some deep dreamless sleep moments ago and just found out that my only, not to mention _borrowed, _weapon had snapped in half. Not even the albino potato could fix it now.

"Do you ever not pop up out of nowhere?" I snapped back. He raised a huge caterpillar eyebrow.

"Is that any way to speak to someone who is going to save your meaningless lives?"

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with us?" Spain interjected. England leaned against the wall and shrugged.

"Well, I've considered your offer and decided to help. A man can change his mind."

"That doesn't sound like you." Spain had a bitter grimace on his face. "You don't change your mind without a really good reason." England was quiet for a moment, staring at his hands before looking at us with a mix of anger and sadness.

"Fine, if you want to hear the truth so badly. I have a plan for keeping Italy from getting killed this time around and it does not involve me… sticking around." He added the last bit softly, looking away. I looked at him, shocked. It wasn't even hearing about his sacrifice that surprised me; I had seen him die almost as often as I felt my brother die. The way he said it, calmly and decidedly, was what did it.

"So?" I finally murmured. I peeked over at Spain briefly. An untrained eye would have seen a hard mask that has seen many dead and gotten used to it. I wasn't fooled. The sadness was reflected in his eyes.

"So, I have recently acquired all of my magic, but I can't risk having you two stay here and mess up my plans or any more of the future. You two idiots would've been caught if I hadn't offered to search the third floor alone." I opened my mouth to yell at him, but he cut me off. "Bottom line, I am going to reactivate your portal and send you back."

"Seriously?! Gracias, England." Spain said cheerfully, looking like he's ready to bounce and crash into the ceiling. England spared a genuine smile for the contagiously chipper (I'm immune by now) Spaniard.

"Right, well, show me to your portal." He requested. I nodded, picked up the remains of my poor gun, and headed to the door first. England followed and Spain lagged behind us to grab his stuff. By force of habit, I started to listen for sounds, but England shook his head at me. "I have requested that I stay on the third floor alone, so there is no need to be so careful." A small weight was lifted off of me now as the three of us walked to the library.

It took us a moment, but we found the row with the portal. The portal had faded so much, it was hard to tell which row had it until Spain found the outline of it. "Blimey, the future me's magic is growing weaker by the minute."

"Just open it." I huffed. I was getting more and more anxious. If England is getting weaker, then something bad must've happened to him. Not to mention Veneziano, but if I'm okay, then he has to be okay too… right? I bit my lip nervously. I just hope we're not too late.

"Don't think too much about it, Lovi." Spain murmured from beside me. Holy shit, when did he move over here?!

"Wh-what are you talking about?" I managed to stammer back.

"Feli will be fine. I have faith in the connection, and if you're good and safe, Feli probably is too." He chirped. I scoffed softly and crossed my arms across my chest.

"You're too trusting. How do you know if he isn't just dead and I didn't get affected?" I tried to sound aloof, but my voice cracked a little more than I would've liked. I cursed myself inwardly. Meanwhile, I felt his arm wind around my shoulders and give them a squeeze.

"I don't believe that could happen. If you were pulled out of a dark place, so was he."

"Whatever."

"Plus, if Feli is dead and England is out for the count, then we're thoroughly screwed and that's just a depressing thought~" Spain added innocently. I snorted and shrugged off his arm, but England interrupted me (again!) before I could reply.

"If you two are done flirting, I'd like to begin the spell now." I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. I wanted to shout that we were _not _flirting, but I decided to keep my mouth shut and fume silently while staring at the portal. It was redrawn, but still faint of light. England slowly began his chant. It sounded like human, but it was going too fast for me to catch it. Very sluggishly, the portal began to grow brighter and brighter. Finally, it damn near blinded me.

"Is it done?" Spain asked. England's chanting faded out and he stepped away from the portal.

"Yes. It should send you back, but the spell is temporary. It will stay open once for you to get back to your time and then that is it." He instructed. "I trust you know how to stand?"

"Si!" My hand was suddenly grabbed and Spain led me to the portal. He set up his feet on the edges and reached over to grab my other hand. I sighed, not even bothering to argue with the hand-holding, and put one foot on an edge and the other at the ready. I looked at England, who was eyeing mine and Spain's linked hands.

"T-thanks again, England. For everything." I forced myself to say. I really hated apologizing, but I could hear the voice in my head nagging me to. I'll be damned if that voice didn't sound like the tomato bastard.

"One last question, Romano." England slowly said, looking up into my eyes. "Have you seen what happens in this time?" I frowned and shook my head.

"No, not this specific time, but I remember other times." He seemed to relax when I said that, for some odd reason.

"Thanks. Now, get out of here before anyone sees." With that, England left the isle and we heard the door nearest us open and close. I looked back at Spain, who was looking after England.

"Ready, bastard?" I gave his hand a pinch, snapping him out of his thoughts. He blinked and smiled down at me, then gave my hands a small squeeze, just the slightest pressure.

"Ready, Lovi~" I took a deep breath, squeezed my eyes closed, and moved my foot onto the edge. A flash of light erupted from behind my eyelids and I felt the familiar feeling of being sucked though a tube while still feeling Spain's big and warm hands around my own.

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**I'm going to start doing 7 days per chapter instead of 5. It's been hard to manage lately.**

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	21. Secret within the Annex

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetaoni or Hetalia.**

**The last part of the chapter is in third person, so just be wary of that. The rest is Romano's POV.**

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My eyes snapped open the minute the light disappeared from in front of me. The minute I did, black spots made me dizzy and blind. I blinked them away and looked around to find familiar faces staring back at me. The first two people I saw were America and France. Next to America was Canada and England, and next to France was Prussia. Prussia and France jumped up right away and ran to tackle the bastard that was still holding my hands. Spain's hands were ripped from mine and I shuddered at the cold air that hit them.

"Tonio!"

"Spain, you're okay!" They shouted at him, hugging him and kissing his cheeks and generally not paying attention to me. Spain flashed me a brief look that either meant 'I'm sorry about this' or 'I'm suffocating over here'. Well, tough luck, tomato bastard. I had more pressing matters. I walked over to America and his 'family'. America had also stood but he didn't move.

"Romano, how are you guys back?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I'll explain later, and you'll explain why we were stuck there in the first place." I glanced at England, who was the only person who hadn't looked up when Spain and I arrived, and back at America. His face grew a little hard. "First things first: where is my brother?" At mention of Veneziano, America grew slightly worried. He pointed toward the beds. I walked in that direction, passing the curious face of Russia and China from the kitchen, and toward the back where I saw Japan and the potato bastard huddled. Japan must've heard my footsteps, because he turned and stood up right away.

"Romano! You're back, but… how…?" Japan eyed me curiously.

"Spain and I will explain everything soon. You guys will also tell us what happened when we were gone." Japan nodded at my demand.

"Of course." I walked closer and looked onto the bed. My heart suddenly felt hollow. Veneziano was laying in the bed, breathing slowly and looking pale. Germany was holding his hand.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to stay calm. I walked over to the bed and sat down nearby my brother's head.

"He was in the annex and a monster must've appeared. When we arrived, he had collapsed and wasn't breathing. He had a heart attack when we carried him back. I revived him just a few hours ago." Japan answered. "He has gone back to normal but his breathing is slow and he hasn't woken up yet."

"I see." I frowned. I didn't see any wounds aside from the wounds he already had. What had the monster done that caused him to get knocked out? I looked up at Germany. "Weren't you supposed to protect him, potato bastard? How did this happen on your watch?" My voice came out harsher than I thought it would. He flinched at it.

"Italy had gone after America. Japan and I couldn't stop him. We went after him, but when we got there, it was already too late. He almost didn't make it—"

"I know." I interrupted abruptly. He looked up at me in surprise. I smiled bitterly. "I know fully well what a close call it was." Germany pressed his lips together and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be. I'm leaving my brother's life in your hands." I stood up and looked down at my sleeping younger sibling and at his hand, linked with the potato's. "If you let me and him down again, you're going to be very sorry." I gave Japan a parting nod before I turned and walked away back to the other nations. I didn't even look back when I heard Germany give his answer.

"I swear on my life, I will never let him down again."

**X-X-X**

I had to wait another couple of minutes for Prussia and France to finish pouncing on Spain before I could call everyone together and get everything explained. Everyone met up at the tables except for China, who was cooking, and Germany, who was keeping a close eye on Veneziano. The others promised to tell them about mine and Spain's story later.

Spain and I went first. We went back and forth, recapping the events of what happened. I talked about me collapsing when something happened to Veneziano, Spain told them about running into past England the first time and when he turned back time, and so on and so forth. Whatever I couldn't remember or wasn't there for, Spain filled in the blanks. I did the same for him; I did that quite often because he is a huge airhead. We also told them about the things we learned, like the monster's eyesight.

"They can only see moving things?" Russia smiled curiously. I nodded and everyone looked amazed.

"So, if you don't think that the thing has seen you yet, just stay as still as you can and you should be fine." Spain summed up.

"So that means that me not moving was the reason I wasn't seen!" Canada beamed. Neither Spain nor I had the heart to tell him that his invisibility probably helped in that. When we were finished, the other nations recapped what happened in this time.

"Right after you left, England and Japan came back." America told us. "They weren't strong enough to beat the monster, so they left it there. I may have said some hurtful things and England went down there alone to prove himself. I ran after him and Italy followed. Japan and Germany ran after him, too."

"England found the monster and pushed himself to use all of the magic he had to kill it." He continued. "Later, we found out that it was at the cost of his eyesight."

"I've seen that happen before." I looked at England, who was still looking down. He was scowling in the direction of his hamburger-for-brains companion. "I think you once explained to Veneziano that your eyesight was taken for compensation for your lost magic."

"Yes, that's correct." England confirmed.

"It wouldn't have happened if you didn't try to prove yourself." America grumbled. England looked up at him blindly.

"I wouldn't have had to if YOU hadn't been a downright wanker and always tried to be the hero all of the time!"

"Please, don't fight now!" France suddenly cried. "Not when everyone is back together again!" There was silence before England and America settled and sat in silence. Japan continued the story.

"When Germany and I finally arrived at the annex, Italy had already arrived there. He went to look for America's glasses, which he had dropped during the first visit to the annex, in another room. America and England stayed in the room the monster was in. We heard Italy scream and, when we got there, he was on the ground, pale and unconscious. He had no other injuries, but he had stopped breathing."

"That explains why the portal closed right as Lovi collapsed." Spain noted.

"Yes, precisely. We all came back to the hideout and started making food and drinks for everyone. That's when we found that the portal was deactivated and that you hadn't returned.

"We were trying to figure out what to do next when Italy suddenly started shaking and convulsing. I checked his pulse and his heart was beating faster than normal, then it stopped again. Germany and I performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him to get his heart pumping again. Thankfully, it worked."

"Lovi, what's wrong?" Spain frowned at me and the very sick face I was making.

"N—nothing. Just… nothing." I shook my head and closed my eyes, trying to clear that image out of my head. "Anything else happen?"

"Just food. I'm sure you're both tired and hungry." Japan smiled kindly at us.

"Si! I'm done for the day." Spain stretched. I rolled my eyes.

"I slept enough." I huffed. As soon as I said that, my stomach growled. I turned red at some of the snickers coming from the nations around me. "I'll take the food, though."

"Certaintly. I'll bring it to you." Japan stood and walked toward the kitchen.

"I'll go shower and go to bed early, then." Spain stood and started for the bathroom.

"Yo Spain! Don't think you're going to sleep without having a beer with us first!" Prussia shouted. Spain laughed, gave a thumbs-up, and went into the bathroom. One by one, everyone else wandered off. I put my chin on my hands and waited for my food to come.

**X-X-X**

The food wasn't half bad. It was Chinese, but the noodles were pretty damn quality and the beef was well-made, so I didn't complain. Spain came out of the bathroom moments ago in only his boxers (tomato print? What in the everloving _fuck_…?) and Prussia and France pounced out of nowhere to sit at the same table as me and have a beer or two.

Ugh, I hated being around these three when they're drinking. Prussia actually gets louder when drunk, if that is at all possible. France just gets woozy, but doesn't really change. Spain is his normal self, since he can actually hold his alcohol, but he can get more touchy-feely. If we have wine on the holidays, he will spend the rest of the evening clinging to me in a vice grip. Stupid bastard.

It doesn't seem like he's going to get that drunk today. He drank one beer and, when he was offered another, he declined and just continued talking about whatever. I tuned it out and finished eating. The funny thing about Chinese and Japanese food that I have noticed is that it makes you feel full for a good 10 minutes before you get hungry again. What was their secret? I should leak that information to a few choice restaurants in my country.

Eventually, Spain stood up and bid farewell to his friends. When he passed by me, he stopped and suddenly reached over the table to give me a hug. I froze in complete surprise, my face heating up in record time. "Wh—wha—"

"Good night, Lovi." He murmured _right into my fucking ear_. I shuddered involuntarily and he leaned away and walked to the beds. I tried to will my face into going back to normal, but I don't think it was working. Dammit. Why did he do that all of a sudden? What a bastard, b-breathing onto my ear like that. As I was mentally grumbling about him, I got the feeling that I was being watched. I looked around and saw France and Prussia looking at me with small smirks.

"Wh—what?!" I glared at them.

"You and Tonio are so cute sometimes, don't you think so?" France purred, looking at Prussia. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you're both making my teeth rot over here."

"The fuck are you implying here?" I snarled darkly. They better not mean what I think they mean. France just shrugged in response.

"Nothing at all. You'll find out someday, I suppose." He stood, ruffled my head like some snot-nosed kid, and walked off. I started to get up and go yell at him, but Prussia's arm forced me back down.

"So enough of that. You done eating?" He asked. My eyebrow rose.

"Why?"

"Well, I wanna go back down to the annex. Japan and I have been talking and he wants to investigate one of the rooms. He thinks there might have been another puzzle there and I think I saw a clock when we were there." He explained. "There is safety in numbers, but everyone is either too worn-out or don't want to go. If you're not too tired—"

"I'm fine." I interrupted. I fainted twice, as much as I hate to admit it, and I haven't fought any monsters. I'd say I got plenty of rest. "I'll go."

"Awesome! I'll go tell Japan and we'll decide when we should leave. Do you have your gun ready or do you need any modifications?" My heart dropped into my stomach. Oh crap. I thought I had forgotten something.

"Erm, I think my gun is going to need a lot of modifications." I answered hesitantly. Prussia eyed me for a long time.

"What happened to it now?"

"Well, the second time I collapsed—"

"You mean fainted into Spain's arms like some damsel in de—"

"THE SECOND TIME I COLLAPSED—" I shouted over him, turning red. Fucking albino potato needs to learn when to shut his face. "I dropped my gun and it fell through the railing to the next floor and snapped in half."

"What?! Dude, that gun took forever to fix!" Prussia whined. "Where is it now?" I reached back and pulled both pieces of the gun from the hoister. Prussia took the pieces and examined them for a long time before putting them on the table. "West is going to be so pissed at you."

"Forget him! If I don't have a weapon, I'm screwed anyway!"

"I know, I know! Hmm… maybe you can borrow Spain's axe. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." I narrowed my eyes at his smirk when he offered that.

"First of all, I can't even lift that demonic thing, let alone swing it around. Second of all, shut the fuck up about me and Spain. Whatever ideas you're getting are way off. I don't even like the bastard!" Hmph, my voice sounded way too high for a moment. Prussia chortled in response.

"Whatever, man. We can ask Japan about a weapon. Maybe he brought one you can temporarily use."

**X-X-X**

Japan had, in fact, brought an extra sword. It was really fragile, though, and considering Japan made it clear that he would break down completely if it broke, I wasn't going to take that risk. I asked around, but no one else seemed to have anything but their own weapons. France and America offered their own weapons to use for the trip. I chose America's pistol, since the special skill was similar to mine. Plus, I was not going to touch anything handled by France. America gave it to me with the promise that he'll try to find me a new weapon. I, in turn, promised to take care of his.

Once I had my new weapon and Japan and Prussia had theirs, we were off. Prussia locked the safe room door behind him and we went slowly to the annex. Knowing that just moving as little as possible could let us remain undetected, we could not take the chance of running unless it was absolutely necessary. If a monster came, at least it would be easier to freeze in place and wait for it to leave. We came to the annex door and, one by one, went down the stairs. Prussia and I didn't even argue about it. We just went in the same order as the last time.

It was just as cold and creepy as I remembered it. I rubbed at my arms and tried not to focus on the cold metal pistol rubbing my side. I couldn't store it anywhere else except at my side. It had a holster, but it's even more uncomfortable than keeping it here. Once Prussia got off the stairs, Japan led the two of us into one of the rooms where we found the lights, the one with the huge table right in the middle. I wondered out loud if any more of England's magic was floating around. Japan told me that they had searched the annex briefly for the lights, but they had all been collected by us earlier.

"On the bright side, that extra searching around brought this room to my full attention." Japan brought us over to the corner. On the wall was a switch.

"What do you think it does?" I asked him, eying the switch suspiciously.

"It's a lot like the switch upstairs. It doesn't have a sign, though." Japan pointed out.

"Let's try it, but first—" Prussia began. I turned to see him half under the table. He slowly crawled out and held up a clock. It looked just like the one from the attic. "—should we break this?" Japan and I exchanged a glance.

"Well, is it really necessary?" I wondered.

"If this room has a clock, then that means that time must be screwed up here, too. Who knows? Maybe it'll work in our favor." Prussia reasoned.

"That is a good point. Maybe we'll see a part of the future that is vital to us, too." Japan mused. I frowned. I haven't actually gone through the clock's effects. We never broke the clock in the attic. What could I be able to see, anyway? What if I have a reaction like the potato bastard and all those memories just get sent to Veneziano? "Romano?" I snapped out of my thoughts at Japan's voice. "What do you think?"

"Uh…" I frowned, conflicted. "Does… does it hurt or anything?"

"No. It's much like déjà vu." Japan reassured. "Mine is just more intense sometimes. You needn't worry." I bit my lip at the thought. This whole adventure or whatever you want to call it has been nothing but déjà vu trips. Do I really want to go through anymore? Well, if it's for the sake of getting everyone out of this place, I would, and that's exactly what this is for. If time is righted everywhere, maybe getting out would be easier.

"Alright, let's go for it, then pull the lever." I finally told them. Japan nodded and gestured to Prussia to go ahead. He grinned and threw down the clock. It shattered and the ticking sound it was making slowly stopped, just like the hands did. Suddenly, I couldn't see the clock; nor the room. The whole scene changed.

**X-X-X**

Japan found himself outside. The first thing he saw was a few wildflowers and trees in a wide-open space. He looked all the way around and saw nothing else. The layout looked familiar to him. _Am I still nearby the mansion? _He wondered to himself. As he looked around, he spotted a transparent figure with white hair. It was Prussia. Japan waved to him. Prussia waved back and started closer to Japan. He didn't get far, because by instinct, they froze at a new sound.

It was a rustling within the grass. Footsteps, quick and frantic ones. Japan and Prussia both looked around for the source. If this was a memory, there should be a person from the mansion who made the memory. Japan looked back at Prussia to see him staring wide-eyed at something behind him. Japan turned and understood right away. The source of the running was Romano—a non-transparent and very scared Romano.

Japan felt more confused than before. How would a memory from Romano have gotten into a clock from the annex? This was supposed to be the first time Romano and Spain have ventured out to the mansion. Has that been a lie, then? But why would they lie? "Spain!" Japan blinked when the memory's Romano shouted out the name of his companion. They must've separated. Romano began running again. "Spaaaiiin!" Japan looked at Prussia. He looked seriously concerned, probably for his friend.

Suddenly, Romano seemed to have tripped. He fell forward onto his knees, heaving and panting heavily while clutching at his side. Japan worried for Romano, wondering if Italy had gotten killed in this memory. However, when Italy is dying, Romano described it as being 'cut in half'. This seems more like he was jabbed harshly into his side. Romano was frozen for a moment before he started patting his pockets. Japan and Prussia watched him as he dug around for something. His searching hand froze in one pocket and Prussia could see his knuckled pressed against the cloth as he grabbed whatever was inside.

He pulled out whatever it was slowly. His fist was closed, so they couldn't see what it was. When he opened it, all Japan saw was little bits of dust get caught in the wind and fly away. Prussia could see a bit of what looked like colorfully-colored gravel. Romano didn't do anything for a long time. He just stared down at his hand, his breathing slowly getting heavier and faster.

Japan's and Prussia's hearts collectively took a suicide dive into their stomachs when Romano threw his head back and let out the most pained and gut-wrenching wail they have ever heard. Prussia's step faltered back a little and Japan's hand flew to his chest. In all of the years that they have known Romano, Prussia having known him since he was a kid and Japan when he alliance with Italy for the first time, they have never seen him like this. Prussia has seen him cry, but not in such a heart-breaking way. Japan has seen sadness, but it has never moved him to tears of his own.

Romano's long cry changed into sobs as his head snapped forward again and he curled up within himself, his hands closing again so he could put his face in his arms. His whole body shook from the tears he shed. Both observing nations wanted nothing more than to snap him out of it, call for his brother, call for Spain, anything. What had made him this way? A moment ago, he was looking for Spain. Now, he was breaking down right before their eyes. Was it the gravel in his hand? What did it mean?

Romano's body still shook, but very slowly, he brought himself back up. Prussia could see his tears had soaked his sleeves and made tracks on his cheeks. They could hear that Romano was close to hyperventilating. The nation glared up at the sky. Japan hadn't even noticed that the skies were grey. "…dare you?" Prussia and Japan both were surprised when they heard that Romano was speaking. "How… **dare you?!**" Romano had barked out at the sky. Beneath his tears were eyes filled with despair and anger.

"How could you leave me like this?! You were the one who was supposed to stay alive! You were supposed to stay at my side! Watch out for me! Protect me! You promised! D-dammit, **you promised!**" He cried out, fresh tears flowing. Prussia frowned. Was he talking about Spain? Did that mean… Prussia shook his head. _No, it can't be. How would he know if Spain was dead, anyway?_ Prussia and Japan could see a few drops of rain nearby them. Romano didn't seem to notice. He was glaring at the ground now.

"Y-you took… everything…" Romano croaked out. Prussia could see him squeeze his eyes shut. "M-my brother… y-you have him trapped in your cage. Y-you're set on killing him. N-now, you've k-killed the only p-person that I… I…" Romano pressed his lips together and shook his head slowly. Prussia felt like he was sinking. _No… no, I refuse to believe it. Spain… he can't be…_ Japan felt his own heart fill with dread.

"I… I can't take this a-anymore." He sniffled, grabbing at handfuls of grass. He looked back up at the sky. "There's n-no fucking point in waiting. I'm all alone in the world. It doesn't even f-fucking matter if there are o-other nations still a-alive. My world, it's… it's empty. Y-you've killed the c-closest thing I have to family, and m-my actual family has to die to be able to fix it." His jaw suddenly tensed and he ripped out the grass.

"So kill me now! Kill me right now! I have no reason to be here, and you're going to kill me no matter what!" The words had Japan and Prussia reeling. Romano was talking to the monster, begging to die. Romano's eyes squeezed shut again. The rain was pouring harder and washing the salt from his face. "I can't sit here and wait. My brother's death will hurt worse than my own. Please! Just **fucking KILL ME ALREADY!**" He shouted once more at the sky. There was no sound. Just the rain.

Romano let out another sob and curled up again. Japan and Prussia wondered if this was the end of the memory. They hoped so, because they need to ask the real Romano, from their time, what had happened. They watched Romano cry, wondering when they will be sent back. There was a peal of lightning and thunder when it came. Japan and Prussia stared at it with dread. The monster, the thing from the mansion.

It was one of the big-headed ones. Japan recalled what Romano and Spain said about staying still. Did the monster even see Romano? A quick look at its face and how Romano was still shaking and sobbing loudly told them that he could definitely see Romano. It came closer until it was right behind Romano, casting an almost invisible shadow. Romano stiffened a little, seeing it but not turning around. The thing raised its claw. Prussia and Japan took a step and started to shout out to Romano to get away, but their voices were left unheard. The claw came down. Japan disappeared right away. The last thing Prussia saw before fading out was Romano's last breath out.

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**It's late, so if there are any mistakes in the chapter, it's because I haven't fully proofread. I'll do so in about a day, so check back for changes.**

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	22. The Untold Story from the Outside

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**I will be taking a 2-week break to focus on midterms, so there will be no update next week. As for this chapter, this is one of the most important because there is information and events here that will be important throughout the whole fic.**

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They were brought back abruptly. Japan and Prussia found themselves exactly where they had been earlier, in the annex room. It was as if nothing had happened. However, the clock was still broken at their feet and, while they felt the dizziness of seeing the memory, it was still fresh on their minds. Not to mention, they were now highly aware of the third person in the room.

They both turned to look at Romano, the real Romano. The look on his face, though his head was mostly tilted down, made it clear to them that Romano had seen the same memory they had. None of them knew what to say. Prussia and japan both felt extremely confused and slightly mad. Spain and Romano told the nations that this was their first time here. Did Spain really lie to his best friends? It wasn't normal behavior to Prussia. Romano can be a lying sneak, but to his own brother? And about something this serious? Not Japan nor Prussia believed that he would manage something THAT extreme.

No one said anything for a long time. The only sounds were their own breaths. With an inward sigh, Japan realized that he was going to have to take initiative. He took a small step toward Romano. "Romano?" Said nation blinked and his head snapped up, as if he had been lost in thought and just came out of it. He looked from Japan to Prussia and back. He took a few steps back.

"Romano." Prussia's voice came out harsher than Japan's. Romano visibly flinched, looking very shaken.

"Um." He didn't stop backing away, avoiding their eyes now. "I… I should… I have… to…" Abruptly, he turned and ran from the room.

"Wait, Romano-!" Prussia started after him, but Japan held him back. Prussia tried to break away. "Let go! We have to go after him!"

"I agree, but we can't do that now! You saw the look on his face right now; going after him now would only corner him." Japan reasoned. Prussia made an unsure face. Slowly, Japan let him go. "Let's give him some space. It's unlikely that he'll let himself get attacked; Italians run fast."

"Haha, right." Prussia halfheartedly agreed, still looking unsure. Remembering something, he looked over his shoulder and back at Japan. "Can we pull the lever now?"

"Of course." Japan smiled in relief.

**X-X-X**

I didn't even know where I was going, and I didn't give a damn. I just needed to get away from that place. I spent my retreat trying to forget what just happened, but it was no use. The worse memory I have gotten has come back to haunt me, and it was one I made myself. I wasn't looking through Veneziano's eyes like last time, but down at myself. It was odd how much I missed seeing death through my brother now.

I had to pause and put my hand in my pocket. I hadn't realized it before, but I've been doing this often since the first time I was here, the actual first time, every time I was away from Spain. I let out a sigh of relief. It was still intact. Why wouldn't it be? That bastard is living it up in the safe room. I'm in way more danger than he is. Speaking of which, I should get out of the open.

I looked around. I was still on the first floor, right in front of a door. I could see the entrance to the kitchen on my right. I pressed my ear to the door in front of me. No sound, human or otherwise. I opened it and slipped inside. It wasn't the best thing to do, but it was better than facing Japan's pity and Prussia's judgment. I felt like a deer in the headlights back there.

The first thing I saw was a short corridor and the edge of something wooden. I proceeded ahead with caution. It was a bookshelf. I could see a few lined up in rows and a table covered in papers. There was a single bookshelf standing alone in the middle of it all. This was the first floor library. I didn't remember too much about this room, except that Japan found a bunch of notes in his language and Veneziano found the journal either here or in the third floor library.

I guess this was a good place to hide before going back to the safe room. I wandered over to the table and peeked at the papers. The looked like notes in various languages. I found one in English, but it didn't make any goddamn sense to me. It looked like just random jumbles of words. I saw one in my native Italian. It made less sense than the English. I gave up on reading the notes and went to a bookcase. Spain found a book in Spanish in the 3rd floor library when we were in the past. Maybe I'll find something in Italian.

I was midway through pulling a book out when a sound made me stop cold. It sounded like… a door opening. The door. I didn't lock the door. My blood turned cold. _Oh fuck, I didn't lock the door! _I turned around just as the huge grey head I have been dreading to see walk into view. I turned into a statue, swearing to myself. I didn't even HAVE the key to this room! How could I be so stupid?! I tried to breath calmly through my nose. The thing hasn't noticed me yet, judging by the way it was slowly walking and looking around. I silently prey it doesn't catch my scent or anything.

Spain's national pastime was bullfighting. I ran through all my knowledge of it, as much as I remember from Spain's conversations about it. They have bad eyesight, so hearing and scent is a lot stronger. If it comes at you, side-step and run the other way. Would these facts even apply? This isn't a fucking bull, and I'm not sure about any other animal that can only see motion. Still, as long as it doesn't sense me, I'll be safe.

It was starting to get closer. Without thinking, I backed up a little into the bookcase behind me. The book I was taking out fell out, hit my neck, and hit the floor. The minute it connected with a loud _smack_, the monster looked up just in time to see me stumble from the shock. So much for not being detected. It bared its teeth at me and I pulled out America's gun. I fired at it, making the ugly creature back away but not really injure. I just have to get out of the room and bar the door from the outside. It should disappear then. I kept firing as I shuffled closer to the only exit. I have to be wary not to tip the thing off to my plan. Fuck, how could I get myself into this? Why can't someone just come help me already?

I was right at the pathway before the rows of bookshelves when an empty click echoed in the room, making my heart drop at the same time. I looked down at the gun and pulled the trigger again and again. Click, click, click. Out of bullets already?! And America didn't give me any bullets to reload with. Damn him! The monster regained its senses once he wasn't being shot at. It was wounded, but by no means done. It bared its fangs and claws.

I dropped the gun and did the first things I could think of to do. I turned and ran, screaming for help. "SPAIN, HELP MEEE!" The monster's roars almost drowned out my plea as it ran after me. I tried to think fast. One of the rows ahead stuck out more than the others. I dove in and, as I thought, there was a space between bookcases. Just as the monster got closer, I squeezed quickly through the tight space and shoved against one of the bookcases from the other side, trying to tip it. It tipped over just as the thing was running at the space to try to reach me. It landed right on the monster's head and I heard books falling out, but from the sound of those roars, it sounded even more pissed. I ran out of the row and ran to the end of the pathway, looking for some other way out without getting caught.

There was a space in the wall, but it is so much more narrow than the bookshelf. I would get stuck. I turned and saw the monster stumbling out. Is this the end for me, then? No goodbyes? It would just kill me and my body will be found god-knows-when? It looked that way. I had no chance without anything short of a miracle. Not moving was pointless—it knew I was here. It stalked over, ready for the kill. I didn't move anyway, hoping it'll at least buy me time to think.

Something shiny caught my eye. I glanced over to see something silver partially hidden between a bookshelf and the wall. From this distance, I could just barely see the shape—a curve. I made a split second decision and eyed the monster. It was only feet away. _Wait for it…_ I have to be patient. Just like fighting a bull, you pull away at the last possible moment. Too early or too late would mean death. _Just a bit closer. _The moment that it was only 3-4 steps away from me, I bolted toward the bookcase. As expected, the monster couldn't respond fast enough. A snarl echoed just as I reached the shiny thing. It had a pole attached, which I grabbed and pulled out. Stomps came closer and closer behind me. I gripped the weapon I was holding and turned, swinging it down. The silver blade sunk into the giant grey forehead.

The monster and I froze, its claw an inch away from piercing my stomach while my new weapon dug deep into its head. The evil, black eyes were level with mine and glared at me. I could see it slowly become transparent. With one last growl, it was gone. I pulled my weapon close, propping it upright on the floor by the pole, and leaned against it to catch my breath. My hand grazed my stomach, ghosting over it like an old scar. It paused at my pocket. Still safe. My eyes closed. I killed a monster all by myself and am still alive to talk about it. It was an extremely close call, but I'm still alive.

"I did it." I murmured to myself. It was, thankfully, the only sound in the room. All was quiet again. My brain even stopped pulsing enough for me to think clearly. I stood up straight and examined my new discovery. It was a halberd with a dark wooden handle and a double-sided blade. There was a red ribbon tied just underneath the blade. It looked a lot like Spain's old axe, the one he had lost. But that was impossible. How could it have gotten here? I turned it over and over in my hands. On a more bizarre note, how was I able to use this thing? All of Spain's weapons are freakishly heavy, especially his current axe. Then again, I haven't carried his _old_ axe since I was a child nation. I built some muscle since then!

I paused my twisting when I felt something brush my fingers. I twisted it completely around and stared at the too-familiar carving. It was an R. A crappy R, but it was unmistakably an R. There was no mistaking my own handwriting. I put this R there when I was a kid. This is Spain's old axe.

**X-X-X**

The minute I was able to, I bolted from that room. If I had stuck around, I risk running into that thing again and I won't be as lucky the second time around. I had Spain's axe in one hand and America's useless gun making dents in my side again. At this point, the only place left to go is up to the safe room. I have to check on Veneziano anyway, and return America's stupid gun. While I may never admit it again, I kind-of, sort-of may be worried about Spain too, even though I know he's alive.

I was walking through the door to the pre-safe room when I heard a voice shouting behind me. "Romano, you little brat!" So Prussia found me. I went into the room before turning to see him and Japan follow me inside. They had the same expressions on their faces as earlier. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I could ask you the same thing. What did you get from the annex?" I looked at Japan's closed hands. He opened his mouth to answer, but the potato bastard got in-between us.

"Oh no. You don't ask the questions now. You should be answering our questions." He got in my face with his demand. Japan put a hand on his shoulder and moved him away to look me right in the eye.

"Romano, could you just explain a few things to us? We simply want to understand." I hesitated. I can't just leave them hanging now that they've seen the memory themselves. I never wanted to talk about it. I've just wanted to forget about it ever since I was able to remember it again. Spain can never know, either. "You should know how dangerous it is to keep a secret." Japan added. "Your brother is living proof." I frowned. That's true. My brother has been lying nonstop and all it got him were dead nations and too many time loops to count.

"Fine." I said simply, knowing deep down that I was going to regret this, but they still deserve to know. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, first of all, where did the axe come from?" Prussia eyed the halberd in my hand.

"I found it." I told him honestly.

"Cut the crap."

"I'm not lying, you damn potato head. I was in the library on the first floor. I got attacked—"

"You were attacked?!" They exclaimed in unison. I nodded slowly.

"It got… close… but I'm alright. When America's gun stopped working, I ran away and found this behind a bookcase."

"Hm, that's strange. What is it doing here?" Japan mused.

"It's Spain's." I added idly. Prussia and Japan looked at me long and hard.

"Romano, how many times have you come to this mansion?" Prussia stiffly asked. He sounded eerily like his brother. I sighed and looked down at the ground. It wasn't as if I hadn't seen this coming.

"This is the second time that Spain and I are here."

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?" Japan wondered gently. I pursed my lips for a moment before I began.

"It was the very first time that I got Spain to believe me about the nations. We both hurried up to the mansion. I had no weapon, and I don't think he did either. I didn't think we needed it outside.

"I don't even know how—either I wandered away or he did—but I turned around for one second and the place changed. Spain was nowhere in sight. I ran around looking for him."

"How did you know that he was…" Prussia trailed off. I expected this question as well. I reached into my pocket, feeling it right away, and pulled it out. I held it up on my palm for them to see.

"A bull statuette?" Japan and Prussia stared at it in confusion.

"The national animal, carved out of stone and painted red and yellow, by the personification himself." I smirked bitterly. "He gave it to me before I left his house, so I still 'carry his influence'."

"Why does that show if he's alive or not?"

"You guys don't realize this, but when a nation dies, anything that comes from it wouldn't exist anymore. When Veneziano dies, half of Italy is literally gone, as are the people, produce, buildings, and eventually memory."

"So when it broke—" Japan began, but Prussia interrupted.

"How do you know it didn't just smash in your pocket?" My eyebrow rose. I took a few steps back, brought the statue up, and threw it down onto the ground. It clattered on the floor, but didn't break. Not even a piece chipped off. We all stared at it for a moment.

"This has been dropped, thrown, and stepped on by me when I was younger. It can't be broken."

"Wow, it's like Spain made it just for you." Prussia smirked. I gave him a dirty look and bent down to pick the bull back up.

"Anyway, it was in my pocket the whole time. There was nothing that could break it. Spain died, it weakened, and crumbled into pieces." I said, slipping the statuette back into my pocket.

"What made you fall over, then? Trip over your own feet?" Prussia joked. I glared at him.

"Don't mock me, wurst-for-brains. I could stop answering your questions at any time." Prussia made a face, but said nothing.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this before?" Japan tilted his head. "Why didn't you or Spain tell us that you've been here before?"

"Spain doesn't know." I narrowed my eyes at them both. "And I want to keep it that way. When Veneziano turned back time, I still remembered every detail of the first time we were there. Spain didn't remember anything. If you hadn't seen your past memories from the clocks, would you have remembered anything from this house?" Japan and Prussia exchanged a glance.

"I suppose not…"

"And, if you were told from the beginning that you died here before, how would you feel?"

"I… I'd feel like you were crazy, or if you were telling the truth, I would feel messed up." Prussia admitted. I nodded.

"Exactly. I couldn't risk making him think I was lying, or messing him up by telling him that he died when he doesn't remember it." I crossed my arms across my chest and leaned against the wall. Japan and Prussia nodded solemnly.

"I suspect you didn't tell anyone else because it runs the risk of Spain finding out?" Japan wondered. I bobbed my head in agreement.

"You're awfully protective of Spain's mind for someone who 'doesn't even like him'." Prussia noted. I turned my head away, feeling my face turn read underneath my deep scowl.

"I don't have to explain myself to you. I don't like him, but I'm not about to let the bastard die. Now, is that all?"

"Yes, thank you for answering our questions." Japan bowed slightly.

"Anytime. Now answer mine. What did you get from the annex?" I pointed to Japan's hands. He smiled mysteriously and gestured toward the stairs.

"We have to show the others anyway. Let's go gather everyone first." He insisted. I grumbled, but shrugged. He and Prussia went ahead to unlock the door and go up the stairs. I followed slowly, my thoughts still on what Prussia said earlier. I didn't like Spain. A little more than everyone else, I admit, but nothing more. He's an ally, someone I can trust with my own life. He should be able to do the same. I owe him that much, at the very fucking least.

**X-X-X**

It was a good thing that I was given time to get away from the stairs before I was ruthlessly _glomped_! The end results wouldn't have been pretty. Landing on the floor with a body on top of you hurt enough, even if the body was the same size and build as mine. "OW! Fucking—! V-Veneziano?!" I managed to shove my over affectionate brother off enough to look at him.

"Vee! _Fratello_, you're okay! I'm so happy!" He dove against me again to hug me.

"_I'm _okay? _I'M _OKAY?! Why in the hell do you care if _I'M _okay?! You're the one who collapsed and was in a coma for God knows how long! Worry more about yourself, _idiota_!" I ranted. He didn't pay much attention, just clung to me and rambled about how Germany filled him in and what happened to him and how scared he was about me being in the past while this shit was going on.

"Germany told me you and Spain were back, but Spain also told me how much pain you were in and I got so worried and it was all my fault and—" He started to sob in between words. I patted his back.

"_Mio dio_, Veneziano. It wasn't your fault that you were attacked. Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm okay. I'm here, aren't I?" He sniffled and smiled at me.

"You're the best, _fratello_." He gave me another squeeze. I let out a cough and patted his back again. He couldn't lift an empty box, but holy shit, his hugs were like vice.

"Yeah, yeah, now get off. The floor hurts."

"Oh, veh! I'm sorry!" He jumped up to his feet and helped me up as well. It gave me a chance to look at him better. He looked way better than the last time I saw him. He had more color on his face and he didn't look as sickly. "So, big brother, you went back to the annex?"

"Yeah. Actually, Japan and Prussia found something there." I looked around and saw them gesturing people to one table.

"Oh? Then let's go see it, big brother!" Veneziano smiled and dragged me over to the small crowd. Everyone was already there, except for Spain.

"Where's Tonio?" Prussia asked France nearby.

"He's still sleeping. I tried waking him, but he smacked my beautiful face and went back to sleep." France pouted and rubbed his cheek. I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

"Now that everyone is here, we can show you a new item we found in the annex." Japan announced around the table. He opened his hand and held out a slightly rusty key.

"A new key? Does that mean an unlocked room?" Germany reached out to take the key and examined it. Veneziano looked at it over his shoulder.

"That's impossible! We've unlocked every door on all four floors." Veneziano frowned at it. "What room does it unlock?"

"The 'alter room'" Germany read the key slowly. Murmurs went around the table.

"An alter room? Like at a church?"

"Where could it be?"

"The basement? There was a locked door there, I think."

"Maybe that's where the key to the front door is!"

"Hey! Listen up!" Prussia called everyone to attention, but as usual, no one listened and continued talking amongst themselves. Germany finally banged on the table and everyone fell silent. "Thanks, West. Now, we should get a small group of people to try out this key on the locked door in the basement. Are there any volunteers?" There was silence for a long time.

"I want to go." Veneziano piped up. "I want to see this new room. Maybe I'll recognize it."

"I'm going with you, then." Germany said sternly. No one objected.

"I wanna go, too!" America grinned excitedly. "A new room sounds awesome."

"I'll come too." England spoke up, followed by a painful silence.

"Angleterre… are you sure?" France frowned. England scoffed.

"A new room could mean more of my magic. I have to go and see."

"No worries, guys. I'll be his eyes." America draped an arm around England's shoulders. The Brit turned red.

"Can I go too?" I asked Japan, who was blankly staring at America and England.

"Huh? Oh, um, are you sure you don't wish to rest?" Japan frowned at me in worry.

"I'm fine. Since Spain is knocked out, I want to at least go with my brother and make sure he's okay." I grumbled and eyed the black-haired man. "Is that a problem?"

"Of course not." Japan smiled at me and looked at everyone else. "Let's leave it at that small group. The rest of us should stay here and prepare for their return. As soon as you explore the room, you return to the safe house. Avoid getting attacked."

"Understood." America, England, Germany, Veneziano and I agreed.

* * *

**Translation:**

**Angleterre: England**

**Mio dio: my god**

**Fratello: brother**

**idiota: idiot**

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**This chapter marks the end of the second arc. The next chapter will be up in 2 weeks. At this time, I would like to thank everyone who left me nice notes and reviews for my story. A lot of them really helped me get inspired.**

**raven: I'm sorry, but I can't write that scene. First of all, I already passed that part. During the chapter where Spain and Romano go to the past, England and Japan were fighting together. Second of all, this fic follows Spain and Romano and neither of them were there.**

**I'll see you all soon.**

**Rate and Review~**


	23. Alter Room

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**Sorry I was gone so long. You will finally get what I call Climax #1 of this fic. It's one of many high points of the story. Note: There's not really much Spamano in this chapter, but there is some GerIta (Germany X Italy) and a hint or 2 of USUK (America X England). I'm very sorry if it bothers you, especially since I made it an important part of the plot.**

* * *

Everyone was split up into teams. My team, with Veneziano, the potato bastard, England, and his seeing-eye guy, will go to the mysterious door in the basement and try out the new key. If it fits and the door unlocks, we will quickly investigate before coming back. The safe room group of Russia, Canada, France, and (technically) the tomato bastard will stay in the safe room and try to make contact with the people outside. No one has heard from them in a while. I thought the shifting outside I had to deal with the first time wouldn't be intact with the clocks broken, but now, I wasn't so sure. The rest of the nations (China, Japan, and Prussia) will be safely standing by on the first floor to help when needed.

We prepared our weapons for departure. I returned America's gun and complained about its uselessness. "The bullets ran out and you didn't give me any to refill it! If I hadn't found a new weapon, I'd be dead!" I huffed.

"Whaat? Dude, I refilled it before you left! How many did you fire?" America pulled out more bullet cases to reload.

"A lot. I was being attacked, dammit!" I stomped off and grabbed the halberd from where I left it.

"Ve, big brother?" I turned to see Veneziano, his journal in one hand and a small sack of food in the other. He mentioned earlier to Japan that they needed food.

"Yeah? The hell do you want?" I asked him. He was eyeing the demonic weapon in my hand.

"Where did that come from? It looks like Tonio's. Did he loan it to you?"

"Um, no. I found this in the first floor library when I was attacked."

"You got attacked?!" Veneziano looked at me wide-eyed, like I was some kind of ghost.

"Yeah, but I killed it and I'm alright now." I assured him, touching his arm in case he thought I wasn't real. He slowly relaxed.

"Thank the Gods you are okay, Lovi."

"Ugh, now _you're _going to call me that?" I scowled at the stupid nickname Spain had given me. I didn't bother yelling at him about it. It won't stop him from calling me that. Veneziano ignored my earlier comment and continued while staring at my axe.

"After a few loops, I came up with the theory that whenever someone dies here, some of the things they brought were left here. Japan found some of his notes in that library, England has been finding his magic, Germany found this place…" he mused. I tried to keep a straight face.

"But that's wrong, then, because Spain couldn't have died here if he had never been here before."

"That's true. Oh well, I'll ask Japan or Germany what they think later." Veneziano shrugged and smiled cheerfully. I was about to answer when America called out to us from the doorway, England already with him and the extra team headed in that direction. Veneziano and I gathered our things and followed.

**X-X-X**

From the minute we entered the basement, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. We went through the whole routine of locking the safe room door and going down to the first floor. We parted with Prussia, China, and Japan while they went to search around the first floor (a look from Prussia told me the library would be involved in that). We agreed that, since their watches said 2pm, the first floor group would wait until 4pm for us to return before they went looking for us. I didn't have a watch and England couldn't look at his, so we had to rely on the other 3 to be wary of the time.

We went into the first room of the basement and I nearly tripped on the lip of a bookshelf that wasn't even pushed against the wall all the way. I ran to keep up with the others, trying _not _to remember the firsthand experience I had with that stupid bookcase. We went lower, occasionally peeking around corners for England's magic or anything we missed. According to Germany, when Veneziano asked about it, England believes that getting some of his magic restored would bring back his eyesight. I still couldn't believe that he used that much magic.

"It was to prove to America" Veneziano murmured to me. "that he didn't have to feel so responsible for everyone. He wasn't the only hero." We both peeked over at America, with England holding onto the back of his jacket like a little kid and asking questions every so often, looking embarrassed each time. America himself tried to laugh it off, but he didn't hide his pain well.

"I'd say he learn his lesson." I grimaced. "They both acted like idiots."

"We all do stupid things sometimes. It's how we live and learn."

"Assuming we want to learn." I countered, frowning at him. I didn't expect an answer like that from my silly brother. I expected a laugh, agreement, disagreement, in his own way. He was changing. Others may not notice, but this house was changing everyone. It was changing me as well, probably, but I can't tell how just yet. Veneziano shrugged at my answer and smiled.

"That's true, _fratello._ But that's all their choice. If you want to, you would learn from your mistakes." His arm wound around mine before I could say anything and he clung to me. His other arm already clung to Germany, but I barely noticed that. My thoughts were on my brother's words. It didn't sound like he meant 'you' in a general sense. It felt like he was talking directly to me.

We kept walking and the temperature seemed to drop further. I had goosebumps all over. Did something just breath down my neck? I kept looking behind me but saw nothing. Fuck, was there a monster? Is that why it's so freezing? I was wondering if it was just in my head, but Veneziano and England looked uneasy as well. Germany was trying hard to ignore _something_ and America was talking about whatever almost hysterically.

There was almost a collective sigh of relief when we got to the door by the cave entrance and the knob didn't turn. "Who has the key?" Germany looked around. Veneziano let go of us both and pulled the key Japan gave him from his pocket. He tried the key on the door. It fit perfectly.

"This is it." Veneziano breathed, looking over his shoulder at us. "You ready?" Neither of us replied. I wasn't even sure I was ready for whatever was behind that door. England finally murmured something like 'just do it'. Veneziano turned the key to the left and turned the knob. The door swung open, revealing a barely lit room. I swallowed nervously at the darkness, and Veneziano grabbed my hand again, his grip tighter. We all slowly walked in.

**X-X-X**

Finding a light switch wasn't difficult. America found it on the wall beside the door. He flipped it on and we relaxed when we saw the room was empty. Empty of monsters, that is. The room, first of all, was like a mini cathedral. It had a few bookcases, of course. It had a huge long red rug covering the center of the light grey floor. Along the walls were little tables covered in white tablecloths. Half had lit candles, which must've been the source of the small light from before, and half had silver bowls. In front of the tables were two pews, one on either side, but they were placed sideways instead of facing the front like church pews should.

Up against the farthest wall, in the center, was a bigger table. This must've been the altar. It also had a white tablecloth with candles, as well as a lone book and amulets. On the wall was a stain glass window, which didn't give light since this was underground but gave the same feeling to the room. "Vee, reminds me of home." Veneziano murmured. I knew what he meant. This was very similar to our churches.

"I never pegged the monsters to be religious." Germany frowned, staring up at the stained glass. It wasn't typical to the front of a church either. The main stained glass window was normally of _Gesù _or his mother. On this one, there were 4 white angels on each corner and they had their arms outstretched to the center. In the center was an angel with black wings but white gown. It was holding the hand of one of the white angels.

"Forget that. Let's just get out of here." I looked around uneasily. The cold feeling didn't go away. The door was locked, but I didn't feel any better about being here. Veneziano looked like he felt the same way.

"Y-yeah. Germany, we should go now and come back with everyone."

"But what about my magic? While we're here, we should look around." England responded. America was leading him around the room, looking under the little tables and slowly getting closer to the altar.

"It's not like your magic is going to disappear if we don't find it right away. Let's go find Japan, China, and Prussia. They'll be worried about us." I argued, my brother nodding along.

"We still have an hour and a half to search and come back to them. The door is locked anyway, so we won't get attacked." Germany looked in the bookcase.

"Yeah, c'mon guys. Don't be such pussies. You've got me and Germany to protect you!" America laughed.

"Who're you calling a—" I began, outraged.

"Don't you two start. America, let's look at the altar." England demanded. America gladly took him there while I kept my mouth shut and fumed silently. Stupid hamburger bastard, he's lucky I'm more sca—I mean, weary—of England than I am of him. Who wouldn't be? Bastard was a powerhouse, even before we came here and saw his magic. Anyone who could hand Spain's ass to him when he was in his prime should be considered terrifying.

I wandered off to look at the candles and bowls on the little tables. The bowls were empty, but a few had faint and unsettlingly red rings on the inside. I don't know what used to be in here. I didn't even want to know. The candles looked dusty, which was surprising since this entire house was disturbingly clean. It looked like it was attacked by all the German bastards of the world and Japan. This room was the only one that looked like it wasn't touched in a few days, which made the lit candles really weird. I rubbed at my arms, wishing we could just leave. It was freezing and this room was getting freakier by the second.

"Agk!" A strangled cry came from behind me. I turned and saw Veneziano falling to his knees, shaking with weird sounds coming from his throat. Even though there was a light coming from above and filling the room, there was a slight shadow under him and shrinking.

"Veneziano!"

"Italy!" Germany and I ran to him at once. He either didn't hear or couldn't respond. He just kept shaking. I grabbed his arm. It was freezing, even more than mine were. Germany tried to tilt his head up to look at it, but he wasn't able to.

"What's going on?!" I heard England demand.

"Italy! Hey!" Germany kept trying to get his head to move.

"Veneziano!"

"Hnn… nngh… n-nyyyaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The minute his voice rose and changed into something otherworldly, it felt like a wall just _slammed _into me. I was thrown backwards and slid across the floor. When my eyesight recovered from the shock, I saw the same thing happened to Germany. Veneziano kneeled there for a moment before he slowly began to rise to his feet. He stumbled a little before regaining his balance and walked forward for a moment, as if testing his legs. He opened and closed his hands. I could see a small smile, even though his head was still down.

He turned to face us and his head lifted up. My lungs felt like they had been grabbed and I heard America gasp behind us. Veneziano's eyes were the color of complete charcoal. It looked like his pupils expanded to cover the entire eye, even the whites. His face had no trace of his natural kindness and happiness. It was cold and evil. It looked like the monsters, but there was something else there. A kind of intelligence.

"I-Italy?" Germany slowly stood. His eyes were wide as they took in the sight of my brother. Veneziano, or whatever he was now, looked at him blankly for a moment. Then he smiled, a cruel and humorless smile.

"**Hello… Germany~**"

**X-X-X**

That would probably be the moment where shit hit the fan. I heard the click of America's gun and turned to see him lift his arm to aim at Veneziano. "No, don't!" I cried out. England heard and tackled America just as he fired. The bullet missed and hit one of the bowls with a _clang _and the gun skittered away.

"What are you doing?! I had him!" America yelled.

"If you shoot him, you'll kill Veneziano!" I shouted back at him and staggered to my feet. Germany stood frozen and the thing just watched everything in amusement.

"**Correct~. So, if that was your shot, it's my turn.**" I couldn't tell what it meant until I saw the journal levitate in his hand.

"MOVE!" I scrambled to the nearest hiding place, the pew next to me, and ducked behind it, just as the journal made everything glow. I peeked around at the spot where I sat and saw the spot was charred black. My chest felt tight and I hoped the others had the sense to move.

"**Aww… I missed.**" The thing sighed. "**Oh well, guess I'll have to try again.**"

"Italy!" I heard America shout, sounding pained. "I know you're in there, dude! C'mon, you have to fight it!" I heard it laugh and it sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"**Poor try. I have my prey under lock and key. Silly encouragement won't do anything.**" There was another flash and a crash. Did one of the tables fall? America ran behind the pew with England in his arms, half awake. As he ducked, another flash came and the pew trembled from the force of the journal's spell.

"I didn't even know Italy could do that!" America hissed at me, gesturing to his bleeding side.

"He doesn't, not that I have ever seen!" My own voice was trembling. "He must've been holding back or didn't know about it. Where's the potato?"

"Pota—? Oh, Germany. He got the sense to duck behind the opposite pew." America answered, setting England down and patting his sides. He cursed silently. "Lost my gun back there."

"You don't need it. We can't risk killing him unless we absolutely have to."

"Right, right. We need to get that thing out of him and then he should be fine!"

"Oh, great, that'll be easy." I snapped sarcastically. "You heard the thing! It has Veneziano under lock and key."

"I know!" America made a face that looked like he was trying to think. It surprised me slightly more than when Spain tried to think outside the mansion. "You know, there was this one movie—"

"We don't have time for your stupid movies, you dumb fuck!"

"**Come out come out wherever you are~**" The thing cooed. Light flashed and we heard wood splinter. He had hit the other pew.

"Just listen! I've seen this type of thing in a lot of my horror movies! People get possessed by ghosts or aliens!"

"This isn't a movie, America!" I started to question his sanity, and mine at this point. He ignored me.

"In one of them, I think the hero got the ghost or alien out by making the host stronger than the thing!" He looked really excited about this. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, America. Say this would actually work. How would you make Veneziano stronger than the thing?"

"I think the hero got the host to bring out his inner desire. The desire either shocked the host enough to force the whatever out or made them stronger to force it out." He explained. My eyebrows knitted together. That actually made a little sense. Another flash and our pew trembled. We have to hurry.

"How are we supposed to figure out his inner desire?" America frowned at me.

"Well, you're his brother! All I know is the guy loves his pasta." He shrugged. I frowned to myself. I never really thought about it, either. All he talked about with me was pasta and Germany. I just figured that was as simple as he got.

"Hey Veneziano, want some pasta?!" I shouted. It was worth trying, I guess. There was a long pause.

"**Sure, as long as it's made of your entrails~**" The thing cheerfully responded, but sounded no more like my brother than before. I wrinkled my nose and tried not to fall over when something caused the pew to shake.

"C'mon, Romano! Isn't there something Italy loves more than food? More than you, even?" America tried. I tried to ignore the _"everything else that exists" _thought that came to mind when America mentioned me. This wasn't the time to feel bad for myself. Still, the only other thought was Germany and like hell I wanted that in my head.

Germany, though. It was true my brother liked him more than any Italian delicacy. He even forgot his roots for the bastard. Then there was Holy Roman Empire, which I only heard of through brief explanations from both Spain and Veneziano. I think Veneziano liked him more than I could remember. My eyes wandered to the stained window. Just barely in view, I saw one of the angels, holding the hand of the black-feathered angel, as if pulling it along to heaven.

I pressed my lips together. The idea that came to mind was stupid, doomed to fail, and could cause a lot of pain and death. Not to mention that I was morally against it. Still, it's my only shot. "America, cover me." I ordered. America didn't even ask. He just nodded and spared one more glance for England before jumping up.

"Hey coal-eyes! You want some entrail pasta? Come get it!" He goated, then started to run as the thing shot some magic at him. I peeked over the pew and saw that the thing was focused completely on America. Now's my chance! I jumped over the pew and dashed across the room to the other at top speed. I managed to jump over behind the other pew, which was splintered a little, just as I saw a light strike the wall in front of me, very narrowly missing my arm.

I heard it growl inhumanly in anger, but I didn't pay attention. I turned to the potato that was crouched next to me. He was beaten up and bleeding. His eyes were wild and confused. "Romano, what are you doing?"

"No time. Potato ba—Germany" I changed my mind mid-name. "I have a plan for fixing Veneziano without killing him, but I need you to trust me, okay?" I bit my lip. I hated this man. I loathe him for corrupting my brother and jealous of him for stealing Veneziano's attention. I openly say this to him. He would have no reason to trust me, and he knows it. I could see the suspicion in his eyes.

"What do I have to do?" He asked. I blinked, a bit surprised.

"Okay, as much as it pains me to say this… kiss Veneziano." I forced the order out and tried to keep the bile in. Ugh, don't think about it, just don't think about it. Germany stared at me like I was completely crazy, with a slight blush.

"I—Wh—Huh?" He stammered. I quickly explained what America told me.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he likes you more than anything, e-even me. Only you could manage to jolt him back to reality and help force the thing out."

"But…" Germany still looked skeptic and flustered (under normal circumstances, the expression would make me laugh at his weakness). "He'll shoot me before I could get to him, let alone k—ki—"

"Yeah, yeah. I don't think he'll shoot you if you keep him talking. Try to distract him and get close, then just… go at it." I couldn't keep from shuddering. Dammit, when I get back to the safe room, I'm going to ask if we have any bleach that I could pour into my head.

"But—"

"Fuck, just go before I change my mind!" I barked. He swiftly stood before he even thought about what he was doing. He looked like he was going to sit again, but it was too late.

"**Germany~ You've come out to play!**" There was an evil giddiness in its voice. Germany balled up his fists behind the pew and took a deep breath.

"Italy, I know you can hear me in there." Germany's voice was surprisingly soft. I always thought it was just naturally loud and rough. He sounded like a parent soothing his child. My hand instinctively traced the lump in my pocket.

"**Oh Germany, you know it's hopeless. Pretty soon, your precious Italy won't exist.**" I bit my thumb to keep from yelling. That fucking monster, ghost, alien, demon, whatever the hell it is better be lying. I saw Germany slowly stepping out.

"You're still in there, Italy, I know it. You won't hurt me."

"**Don't forget who is currently in control here, Germany~**"

"You won't harm me. You care about me more than that."

"**I'm still here, Germany. Don't ignore me.**" The monster sounded angry, but there was no light from the journal. Germany slowly approached the thing.

"Italy, do you remember what we promised each other?"

"**What?**"

"You promised you would wait for me, and I promised to come back?"

"**I don't—**"

"I'm here now, Italy, and you've waited long enough."

"**Stay back.**" Now the thing sounded panicked.

"Now it's your turn, Italy. Come back to me."

"**What are you—**" Silence. All sound seemed to be cut off, and I suspected why. I refused to look, glaring up at the stained glass. The angels visible on this side were outstretched to the dark-winged angel. So close, yet so far away. Only one was able to reach the dark angel, in the end. Suddenly, the air felt different. Warmer and cleaner. The light seemed to brighten. I listened hard for any sound.

"Ger…ma…" An unmistakable whisper of my brother. I slowly stood up and saw, from the other pew, America was already on his feet with an awake England balanced against him. In the very center of the room stood Germany with an unconscious Veneziano slumped in his arms like a rag doll. He reached down and scooped him up in his arms carefully. He then looked up to meet my eyes.

"Let's get back to the safe room straight away." He told me, his voice gruff again. I looked at him, then my brother, than the injured nations standing awkwardly across the room. I didn't even remember nodding or saying anything. Germany just turned and walked out of the room, America and England right behind him. I followed quickly behind.

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**Translation:**

Gesù- Jesus

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**Next chapter will give more of an explanation by the crew's very own magical expert. Look forward to it next week.**

**Rate and Review~**


	24. The Demon Named Steve

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**This fic is slowly coming to an end. I estimate about 5 more chapters, 6 if I post the epilogue (which is up to you guys if you want it up or not). I'm sad to see this fic end, but I'm also very happy. It's turning out better than I ever expected. I hope you guys think so too.**

**Note: Narration switches to Spain toward the end. He'll be narrating for a few more chapters, too.**

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We ran out of that goddamn basement as fast as we could and up to the first floor. Prussia, China, and Japan were at the stairs already when we arrived. Seeing Veneziano unconscious and the rest of us bleeding, they began hitting us with all sorts of questions. Finally, Germany had to shout. "We will explain everything later! Can we please just go up to the safe room, lay Italy down, and treat our wounds?!" The others fell silent and nodded. The 7 of us continued up to the safe room. The team there had also started asking questions, but Japan calmed them all as Germany carried my brother to an empty bed. I glanced around the crowd of nations left in the safe room, but there was no sign of Spain. The bastard must still be asleep. I followed the potato bastard to the beds and looked around. The one at the very end was occupied. I made a face, but concentrated on my brother. I'll fill the tomato snoozer in later.

I looked Veneziano over. He looked like he was peacefully sleeping, any trace of the cold evil gone from his face. I gently opened one of his lids. A completely normal eyeball stared back. I sighed in relief and let the eye close. I leaned back and just noticed Germany kneeling on his other side, his hand against Veneziano's forehead. "You think he'll be okay now?" I decided to ask. Neither of us have spoken since he had fainted.

"Yes. The thing completely left his body and left him conscious for a good 10 seconds before he fainted. I think this is just the aftereffects." Germany stated bluntly. I nodded, feeling lighter when I heard that the thing left his body.

"Germany, Romano." Japan called as he walked over. "England is calling a meeting. Come."

"I'll be staying here with Italy until he wakes up." Germany told Japan and me, his face stern. His tone made it clear that he won't sway from his decision.

"If there is the slightest change, you call me." I spoke through my teeth. He nodded and I turned to follow Japan to the others. Everyone was sitting at one table, America at the head with England at one side and Canada at the other. From England's side sat Russia and China. From Canada's side was one empty seat for France, Prussia, and Japan. I took the empty seat at the opposite head of the table, empty seats for Germany, Veneziano, and Spain on my left. Once Japan sat down on my right, America stood up.

"Alright, if everyone is here, we can begin." He looked around and spotted the empty seats.

"Germany is staying with Italy." Japan spoke up.

"Oh, alright." Is America blushing? "France?"

"Right 'ere!" I turned and saw France walking arm in arm with a very awake Spaniard, still clad in his underwear. "I managed to actually get him out of bed this time!" France smiled proudly.

"Hola everyone." Spain waved with his free hand. I turned back around to face forward and scowled at the table. For some reason, I felt even more pissed off. I wanted to break something—preferably France's arm. I pushed the idea out of my head just as France went to his seat between Canada and Prussia (interrupting their small talk, it looks like) and Spain sat next to me on my right. "Lovi, are you okay? You seem tense."

"Just shut up and listen." I grumbled, refusing to look up from the table at him. Knowing him, he was probably pouting, but he stayed quiet. America began to tell the story, about the altar room and Veneziano getting possessed. When he got to Germany bringing Veneziano back, he just said that he shocked the monster out, not explaining his inner desire theory or forgetting to.

"So those things can possess people now?!" China yelped. "If they possess any one of us, we're all doomed!"

"I have never seen Italy use offensive magic from the journal." Japan frowned. "This could be troublesome."

"But I'm too beautiful to be possessed!" France cried. Suddenly, everyone started shouting and protesting, generally flipping their shit. I had to force Spain back to his seat and break up the heated discussion between him and Prussia just as England called for attention. It took a while, but everyone soon got quiet.

"Thank you. Now, America, Romano, describe how Italy looked when he was possessed."

"His eyes were completely black—"

"His face looked evil and unlike him—"

"I noticed he looked smarter."

"I noticed it, too. It's like it knows more than even we do.—"

"Okay." England cut off my and America's note comparisons. "I haven't expected something like this to appear."

"Like what? Do you know what we're up against?" Prussia asked. England nodded.

"A possessor demon." He said it like it was the answer to everything. There was a long silence where everyone just exchanged glances before Spain spoke up.

"Um, sorry, Eyebrows, but we don't know what that is."

"Oh, right." England frowned, flustered a little. "A possessor demon is a specific type of demon that can possess the body of their prey and only their prey. They do this to drive the prey insane and, if need be, from their companions."

"In this case, the prey is Italy." Japan clarified.

"Yes, and the target does not change unless it has eaten the prey or it dies beforehand." England looked thoughtful. "There is probably only one demon, or else we all would've gotten possessed. The rest of the monsters are likely to be lesser demons that do its bidding. That's why the possessor seems smarter."

"You know a lot about the subject, England." Russia tilted his head in childlike curiousity. England chuckled darkly, sending a shudder down my spine.

"I am a master in black magic. I know a thing or two about demons, like that they are attracted to exchanges, making deals with humans."

"Italy must've made himself the prey when he made his deal, to turn back time in exchange for eating him." France mused, then eyed England's face. "What are you thinking, Angleterre?"

"I'm thinking that, if I can summon the demon, we can make a new deal that will override Italy's."

"But you have no magic left!" America protested. England shook his head.

"I don't need my magic. At least, not an excessive amount." He reassured. "My magic is coming back slowly, but if I have enough to at least see blurry shapes, which I do, I should have enough to summon the demon. All I need is a host for it."

"But this possessor demon can only possess its prey. I don't think Germany or Romano would let us use Italy to hold the demon again." Canada correctly pointed out. Damn straight, that demon won't be touching Veneziano.

"Well, there is another way I was thinking of." England began. He twiddled his thumbs nervously for a moment. "We would be able to trick the demon into another vessel if they are close to the original."

"Close how?"

"Oh, you know, in spirit… in body… in blood…" He trailed off slowly, but I still knew exactly who he meant before anyone else seemed to. I bit my lip. Housing a demon sounds risky, but it would be better than to go find it or try to continue on the way we are now. Better yet, Veneziano won't be in danger anymore. I opened my mouth to answer.

"No." I blinked. I did not say that. Everyone stared at Spain. I looked to see him staring daggers at England. "Absolutely not. I forbid it."

"Spain." I tried to keep my voice under control. Forbid it? He has no right to do that anymore!

"Spain, think about what you're saying. We could fix all of this if we could just make another deal with it." America reasoned.

"I know, but there must be another way!" Spain argued. "I could do it, or someone else—"

"Spain!" My voice rose. Like hell I'd let him take my place.

"That can't be done!" England snapped. "The demon will know that it's different. It will reject your body, or worse, tear you up from the inside."

"Then that is a risk I will take for—" He began. I grabbed Spain's shirt collar and forced him lower so we were eye level.

"Antonio, for fucks sake, just shut up!" I screamed at him, using his human name by accident. It worked well, however. He fell silent, along with everyone else. "You are not the boss of me anymore. You have no right to keep me from doing anything anymore and you're not going to try to do it for me!"

"You…" Spain looked like I slapped him, which I should do. "You're actually considering this?! Lovi, it's too dangerous! You saw what happened to Feli!" He grabbed my shoulder as he sat back down. "You could get corrupted! You could get killed! What if we can't bring you back like we did with Feli?! I can't let it happen!"

"Well, you're going to have to." I let go of his shirt to rip his arms away. "You're not my boss anymore. I did see what happened to poor Feli and that's exactly why I'm taking his place. At least then, I'll actually be useful around here!" My voice came out harsher than intended, but I could care less right now. I could see a brief flash of hurt on his worried face before I saw his jaw harden slightly. He let out a soft sigh.

"Fine." He simply murmured. I nodded and turned back to the silent group.

"I'll do it." I answered, finally. The other nations, except Spain, looked relieved. England stood up and looked at me (or in my direction).

"Good. We'd better find some rope and a sturdy chair, unless you want a demon roaming around the safe room."

**X-X-X**

I was forced to stand back and watch Lovi get tied up. I kept a neutral face as best as I could, but I was a wreak inside. Eyebrows' plan made me angry. Lovi's words earlier hurt me in many ways. I deserve being reminded that he wasn't my henchman anymore. I took my over-protectiveness too far. His implication about Feli (he probably thinks I haven't caught that) was typical of him, but it was hurtful that he thought so low of me. I wanted to take the risk for him, not Feli. But hearing that he still thought of himself as useless hurt the most.

All of the pain he has been through, the things he had to do, and I was here sleeping! Once I heard about what happened to him while I was out, I wanted to reach over and just hold Lovi to me. He was far from useless, further than I am at least. I'm proving it just by standing here and watching America tie him up. According to Eyebrows, the demon is restricted to how much the host can handle as long as it is disarmed. Therefore, if Lovi is restrained and kept away from his axe (weirdly, it looks like mine), the demon should be safely confined to the chair.

Lovi winced when America pulled the rope too harshly around his arm. I started forward, but Francis pulled me back. He and Gilbert were the only ones who were sympathetic toward me. Lovi was angry with me, as expected. I couldn't tell what anyone else thought, but I thought I saw a look of pity on Japan's face. "Chill out, Anton. He'll be fine." Gil patted my shoulder.

"_Oui_. Angleterre wants out just as much as the rest of us, and he is admittedly skilled in his magic. He wouldn't let anything happen that would force Italy to turn back time." Francis smiled reassuringly. That was true. The second Feli would learn about Lovi's demise, he would turn back time. I'd make sure of it. A world where even one person here didn't exist isn't a world I want to live in.

"I think that's tight enough. Can you move?" I heard America say. I looked and saw Lovi struggling with his ropes. They used 3 ropes, 2 short ones for his ankles and 1 long one to bind his arms and chest to the back of the chair. I could see him try to lift his legs and arms, but they didn't budge an inch under the rope. He relaxed and shook his head. "Alright. Iggy, you can do the spell now." America walked to England and led him to face Lovi. Gil, Francis, and I walked closer, as did Russia, China, and Canada. I looked around for Japan and saw him talking to Germany. Filling him in, probably.

"Okay, I'm going to start the summoning spell, but first, I have to warn you." England began, pulling out his book. It looked a lot like Feli's journal, except a different-looking cover. "This will be a difficult process. Even regular possession is hard to deal with. The demon will be inside of your mind and it will see everything in your head to discover your weaknesses and strengths. Most demons aren't as intelligent as we are, but there is always a possibility that this one will be. You have to be careful and guard any potentially harmful information if you can." Lovi nodded. "Since you're restrained, it won't have a reason to stay inside of you, so we hopefully won't have to… force it out." England coughed and Lovi made a weird face, like when I offered to give him a piggyback ride on the way here.

"Anyway, since that is the case, there is no telling when it will come out. We will have to keep it talking so that we can strike a deal. Just be prepared for it staying in there for a very long time." England started flipping through pages, squinting so hard that his eyes turned to slits.

"Yeah, got it." Lovi took a deep breath, have a little bit of trouble because of the rope. "Is it going to hurt?"

"A demon taking over your body? You may feel a sense of dread and every inch of your body will be against it, but no physical pain." I think England just described my feelings right now by accident, but I said nothing. I stared at Lovi, waiting for him to change his mind, _hoping _that he would change his mind. Instead, he nodded once and sat still, waiting. England, meanwhile, was getting frustrated. America finally gave him his glasses to try. It seemed to work. He finally got to the page just as Japan returned.

"Germany said that he will stay by Italy's side while we do this. He wishes us and Romano luck." He announced. Lovi scowled but otherwise didn't answer. Everyone else, including myself, said 'thank you'. We needed the luck, after all. Japan stood next to Eyebrows, who nodded to Lovi. "Are you ready?"

"Just do it." Lovi simply replied. England nodded and looked at the others. "For safety measures, in the presence of the monster, we will use human names." Everyone else agreed and England began to chant. It sounded like half English, half gibberish, and he spoke too quickly for me to catch. The chanting continued for a minute before a glowing circle similar to the portal to the past appeared under the chair. I eyed it, holding my breath.

Nothing happened for another long moment before what looked like pitch black smoke billowed out from the center of the circle and surrounded Lovi's legs and chair. If I felt unsure about this before, it pales in comparison now. The smoke seemed to thicken before it just floated within the circle. England kept chanting. Everyone was staring at the smoke. I glanced up at Lovi. He looked frightened, his hands fists and jaw tight. I didn't even care what would happen, I wanted to just grab him, chair and all, and run away from here. I had to force myself back and remember the hands of my friends on my shoulders. I shouldn't feel this overprotective. Even when he was little and I had to fight Turkey for him, I have never been this overprotective for Romano. Maybe it was the fact that he could actually die here that has me so worried.

The smoke had begun to travel up his legs. It also appeared to be getting thinner, as if it were being absorbed or is being cleared by the air. As the smoke got closer to his heart, Lovi began to shake. He squeezed his eyes shut and sounds came from his throat like he was trying to force something out. As England predicted, his body was opposed to the demon. The smoke got thinner and thinner. Lovi shook more and was clawing slightly at the arms of the chair. I felt useless standing here and doing nothing. I felt the hands on my shoulders squeeze in warning.

"uunnggg… nnggg… nyaaAAAAAAAAAARRGGGG!" The scream that came out of him rattled me. I had to close my eyes to avoid the painful sight that came with it. When I opened them, the smoke had completely disappeared and Lovi became still and relaxed, breathing heavily with his head slumped forward. The rest of him was still constricted in the ropes. England stopped chanting and put his book aside. We waited with baited breath. I counted 5 seconds before Lovi stirred. He shifted in his seat and his hands moved around. His head slowly lifted to look up.

My heart became very heavy. It was just as described earlier. The eyes were as black as midnight, no white or any other color in them. The face changed without really changing. It looked ruthlessly curious, like it wondered how you would react if it gutted you open. It was evil, just like every other monster in this place. Lovi said that it looked a bit more intelligent. I could see what he meant now. It's hard to explain, but it looked like it knew more than anyone else and was proud of it. It was an arrogant being and just looking at it made me angry.

No one said anything at all. Not us, nor the monster. It just seemed to look around. Lovi's eyebrows creased, like they do when he's confused. It was hard to tell what it was looking at, since it wasn't moving its head very much. England decided to speak first. "Demon, we won't harm you. We just want to talk. Do you understand?" Lovi's eyebrow rose. He looked surprised at England's boldness. Frankly, so was I. Nevertheless, it didn't answer. "I said, do you understand?" He asked again. The demon didn't answer again, just stared,

"Um, E—Arthur?" Japan tapped England on the shoulder. England looked at him. "We should be more respectful toward the demon. We are unwanted guests in his home, after all." He murmured.

"I am being respectful." England looked confused.

"Yes, but the way you are speaking sounds demanding. Let's start out small and introduce ourselves before we get ahead of ourselves." Japan insisted. England frowned for a moment before nodding and stepping aside for Japan. He bowed for the demon, who was watching blankly. "Konichiwa, I am Kiku Honda. We apologize for the trouble we have caused and we are happy that you have stayed with us here for so long." Everyone was stunned by this, including the monster. America quickly seemed to catch on and stepped forward as well.

"Yeah, thanks! We have a bunch of things to talk to you about and stuff, so it's great that you're here, yah know? I'm Alfred F. Jones. Do you have a name?" America spoke in his usual cheery demeanor. Lovi stared at him, completely shocked for a long moment, before his face composed and he shook his head silently. "Aw, that sucks. We should give you a name!" America looked thoughtful before snapping his fingers. "How about Steve? That's an easy name to remember, and it's the name of one of my favorite heroes!"

The demon didn't seem to know what to think of America, but that's typical. For a while, it just looked very surprised and skeptical. It felt like forever, but the demon suddenly smiled just a little. It didn't look right. "**Steve sounds fine… Alfred.**" The voice was like I bit down on metal. I made a sound in my throat when I shuddered and I thought I saw the demon look at me briefly.

"Um, g-great." America cleared his throat and began to introduce everyone else, starting with England. The nations either waved or nodded when their names were called. America skipped over Germany and Feli behind us, not wanting to call attention. He ended with me, since I stood off to the side. With each name, the demon looked at the individual person and gave a small nod. When my name was called, the demon stared especially long and hard at me. Its eyes shot ice water through me and I had to look away to avoid it.

"So, er… Steve… if you don't mind, may we ask you a few questions?" Japan asked politely. The demon, Steve, nodded its head.

"**You may.**"

"Okay, so… how did you come to be here?" America went first.

"**I was summoned by the humans who previously occupied this home. **" It answered. I couldn't even imagine what happened to said humans. I thought of the blood clock and tried not to gag.

"Do you know why?"

"**No. ****I forget why. It didn't matter to me. Since I've been summoned and I brought my minions, we have had our share of fun in this home. Humans think that it is ruled by ghosts. It's humorous~**"

"Uh, yes, really funny." Gilbert spoke for the first time. It looked straight at him and he swallowed. "How can you talk?"

"**My species cannot speak, but I can read, and the humans left plenty of books here for me. Having a body like this makes me able to speak as long as I know the words.**"

"Do you remember your deal with your prey?" Eyebrows wondered, finally cutting to the chase. "From recently, I mean. He carries a journal." It smiled wickedly.

"**Of course. Your friend made a deal to turn back time and spare you in exchange for his own life. He is very bold. Only one other has made that deal.**"

"Yes, well, we wonder if you would be willing to make a new deal." Japan hesitated. The demon cocked his head curiously.

"**What are you going to offer?**"

"If you let us go within the next hour, key to the front door and all, we will promise to leave you alone. We won't come near your home again." Japan promised. The demon stared at him weirdly. He almost looked like Lovi for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed. His voice was awful, but his laugh was way worse. Everyone cringed at it.

"**Is that the best you can come up with? I am enjoying having you as my little… toys~.**" The demon chuckled. "**No deal. If that is all you have to offer—**"

"No! Um, well…" Japan struggled. I could see his brain working in overload, as well as everyone else's. We had to think fast, or we'll lose the demon and be back in square one. The thought made me angry. Lovi did not sacrifice his body for possession just for it to fail. He did not go through all of that trauma, those thoughts of being useless, just to not get what we want.

"**If there is nothing else…**" The demon close its eyes. It was about to leave. I had to act fast, for Lovi.

"What about a challenge?" I asked quickly. There was a long silence as everyone stared at me. The demon's eyes snapped open and I knew it was zeroed in on me. There was a different kind of curiosity on its face.

"**Challenge?**" I took a breath and stepped up. I felt Francis and Gilbert try to stop me, but I shook them off and stopped right in front of the demon.

"You and me, a duel, tomorrow. I win, you give us the front door key. You win, you can eat us all. Between now and then, your minions are not allowed to devour us and we aren't allowed to attack them. The weapons may be our choice, but no magic can be used." I took a deep breath and looked at it with hard eyes. "Deal?" It came out almost like a growl. The demon stared up at me, scrutinizing, thinking about my words. Finally, it smiled. It was different from the amused smile it has given before. It looked like it had already won.

"**Deal.**" It growled fiercely in answer. As soon as the word left his lips, the black smoke quickly started coming out from Lovi's chest and sinking into the floor. As it did, the black from Lovi's eyes seemed to drain out to show the familiar golden-brown and white of it. When the black was completely gone, Lovi's eyes slid shut right away and his head slumped. The smoke sank into the floor back to where it came from. There was a long pause, time almost stopping.

"What are you playing at?" I heard England ask, pissed off. I turned to look at the other nations. I saw a mix of emotions. Some looked shocked, some looked outraged, and some looked frightened. I looked back at Lovi's unconscious body and sank to my knees in front of him. What did I just do?

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**Oh Spain oh...**

**Side note, I made an AMV for this fic on youtube. Just search for Not Alone Spamano and it should come up. If not, I'll post the link in my bio when I'm not too lazy. It came out lovely.**

**Rate and Review~**


	25. Good Luck or Good Bye?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetaoni or Hetalia.**

**The longest chapter I've written so far and it's basically a filler XP Doesn't give you an excuse not to read it, of course. Every chapter has some importance to the whole story.**

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It took a while, but we finally got Lovi out of his ropes. I then carried him to a bed. Others offered to carry him, but I refused, wanting to do it myself. I think I even scared Francis when he offered. I don't know exactly why I did that. I just wanted to be assured that Lovi was okay now.

As I carried him to bed, past the curious German and unconscious Italian brother, I examined him for any injuries. His forehead was shiny with sweat and his expression was troubled, but he didn't look like he had been harmed. I set him down in the bed farthest down the line and draped a blanket over him. He didn't wake at all, but his body fidgeted to get comfortable.

It took a lot for me to leave him, but I had to let him get better. I passed Feli's bed, where Japan was sitting now and talking to Germany, and made a bee line for my friends. They both had grave looks on their faces. "Hola." I weakly greeted them as I sat.

"Toni…" Francis began, but he looked like he couldn't even finish. Gilbert spoke instead.

"Spain, I have seen some pretty stupid things, but I think you just took the cake. Man, what were you thinking? What makes you think you could fight it single-handedly?"

"I've fought the monsters before, haven't I?" I frowned.

"Yes, but Toni, this isn't just some monster. This is THE monster, a demon. Angleterre told us that it was their boss, and therefore, stronger than them." Francis shook his head. "What made you think you'd have a chance?" It all came out in a rush.

"I—I don't know! I panicked! The demon was going to leave and it wouldn't come back! I couldn't let Lovi's decision to house it be in vain!"

"Speaking of, what do you think the brat will do when he finds out that you challenged a possessor demon?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow. I couldn't help the swallow that followed. Since the demon left his body, I have been thinking about that. Lovi would be furious with me. If the demon doesn't kill me, Lovi would be waiting with his axe to lob off my head himself.

"He won't do anything, because Spain won't be fighting the demon." I heard someone say behind me. I turned to see England walking over, America beside him to lead the way. Eyebrows had claimed that his eyesight was getting better. Now, it was less of a blindness and more of a man without eyeglasses.

"What do you mean?" Gilbert asked when England was right in front of us.

"He means, we're going to call off the challenge." America spoke before England could. "We'd rather fight our way out than put our life in the hands of just one of us. If Spain loses, we're all dead. That was the agreement and it's obviously hell-bent on keeping its word."

"You assume that I'll lose." I accused.

"None of us are strong enough for one-on-one combat without magical aid, Spain. You are no different than the rest of us. We can't take the risk." Eyebrows declared. "We have to find the nest again and call it off."

"It won't work." Everyone's head snapped up toward the familiar whiny tone of voice. Feli was walking toward us, looking… like crap, honestly. He had an expression that was half sullen and half like he just saw a ghost. He had bags under his eyes as usual, so his sleep wasn't restful at all. He shuffled his feet when he walked. Beside him was Germany, his eyes trained on Feli, and Japan beside him.

"Italy!" Francis, Gilbert, and America ran over to greet the Italian. Feli brightened slightly and hugged them all. I couldn't bring myself to be as happy about his awakening as the others, but I walked over and hugged him anyway.

"What do you mean, 'it won't work'?" England brought back the conversation. Feli turned serious again, looking eerily like Lovi.

"I thought you were smarter than to think it would work, England." Feli gazed at him sadly. "The monster won't just let us go back to how it was before. Big brother Toni made the deal that he fights him and, if Toni lost, the demon could kill us all. If you called it off, the demon would see it as forfeit. A loss on our side."

"Well, I thought it was worth a try anyway!" England snapped, sinking into a chair.

"So we have no option but to let Spain fight?" America frowned. I was getting very offended right now. Feli ignored him and looked right at me with despair in his eyes.

"Tonio, how could you make a deal like that? You're putting yourself at a huge risk for a fight you couldn't possibly win."

"Who says I won't win?" I felt hurt by what everyone was implying about me. No one said anything, so I continued. "I've fought nearly everyone and have conquered just about as many territories as Bushy Brows here. Sure, I lost to America and England, but I've won so much more before that. It's not like I haven't practiced all this time! I know how to fight and I'm good at it. I've survived this long in the mansion, and I fought off a bunch of monsters in the past when Lovi fell unconscious." I looked straight at Feli. "Don't you trust me?"

"I do, Tonio, I really do!" Feli cried out. "It's just… that _thing _was inside my head, and I honestly thought I would go crazy! It felt like I was locked in a cage in my own mind. I could see, hear, and feel everything, but I couldn't control myself either!" Tears started to fill his eyes. "It would've broken me if Luddy hadn't brought me out of it. I can't imagine what it could do to you if you fought it." A small sob escaped him . Germany was the first to act, wrapping his arms around Feli's shoulders and rubbing his arms. I felt awful right away for accusing him of not trusting me.

"Feli, listen to me, por favor." I put my hands on his shoulders so he would look at me. He sniffled once and looked at me curiously. "I swear on my life, I will win this fight and we will all go home safe and sound. You will never have to turn back time again. We will never go through this again. And, when we're home, we will have that sleepover at Japan's. Capito?" I added the bit of Italian, one of the only words I know (Lovi used it a lot with me). Feli smiled softly and nodded.

"Vee, yes sir!" He reached over to hug me. "Thank you, Tonio. I'll be rooting for you." I grinned and hugged him back.

"Yeah, Spain. You'll do great!" Gilbert nodded, sure of himself.

"Yes. You don't get to beat me 4 times in a row to lose to some monster." Francis purred.

"By that logic, everyone here should be able to beat the thing."

"Shush, Bushy Brows." Everyone laughed, the mood much lighter now. It made me feel better than before and Feli even had some color in his face again. He wiped his cheeks and turned to Japan and Germany.

"Germany, could we go to the kitchen to make some dinner? I feel like making pasta now."

"Of course, Italy." Germany nodded and started leading him to the kitchen. Feli stopped and abruptly and turned back to me, the serious look back on his face.

"I should mention, Tonio, that I remember every single thing that happened while the demon possessed me right up until I fainted. If what I heard was correct and Lovi and I are so much alike that the demon possessed us the same…" He bit his lip. "Well, you should tread very lightly when he wakes up."

**X-X-X**

After that, we had a beer. It was Gil's idea, of course, but it's not like Francis' idea was any different (wine). It was just us three for the drinks. Feli, Japan, and Germany were in the kitchen cooking. America, Eyebrows, and Canada went to take showers. I don't know where China and Russia went. Lovi, thankfully, is still asleep.

I thought on Feli's words. Lovi will likely remember everything that happened. He'll be furious with me. I'll meet my early death after all. I tried to cover my shudder behind a sip of beer, but my friends weren't fooled. "Calm down, Toni. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think."

"Yeah. Maybe Romano will actually appreciate your decision. After all, you made it so him hosting the thing wouldn't be in vain and, if you win, it solves everything!" Francis chirped. I looked at them hopefully.

"Do you really think so?" I asked them. They hesitated and exchanged a glance.

"Well…"

"Err…"

"I'm dead." I groaned, my head falling into my hands. I felt Francis and Gil pat my head.

"Dare to dream, Toni." I heard Gilbert mutter.

"No worries, Toni. If Lovi tries to kill you, we'll be there to pull him off."

"Thank you, I guess." I sighed and lifted my head to finish my beer.

"On the bright side, if it took Ita an hour to wake up, just imagine how long it would take for the brat to wake up. Gives you plenty of time to hide."

"No, I can't hide." I stared at the empty glass. "I have to face him, even if he is really angry with me. I can't act like a coward to him now, especially if I have to look brave for the fight."

"It's your funeral. Hey birdie!" Gil shouted. I looked up to see Canada stop cold by our table in response to the shout. His hair was wet from his shower and he was carrying a bowl of what looked like pasta.

"O-oh! Hi Prussia." Canada freed a hand to wave. "France, Spain."

"Hello my petite French sweet." Francis sang. "Why don't you come join us?"

"I can't. Japan has gone to wake up Romano, so I'm bringing him some food."

"Aww, bummer." Gilbert grumbled, but I was too busy fully processing what Canada said.

"Wait… Japan is doing what?" I cleaned my ear just in case. Canada's answer was drowned out by a different form of answer.

"_**SPAAAIIIIN!**_" I was honestly afraid to turn my head and face the source of the undoubtedly familiar and very angry voice, but I did anyway. Sure enough, Lovi was standing in the isle of beds, clothes wrinkled from sleep and hair tousled in a really cute way. Under normal circumstances, I would comment on it. Unfortunately, looking at him felt like I was facing down a raging bull, so this probably wasn't the best time.

"L—Lovi! Hey, you're awake!" I chuckled nervously, slowly standing. "You look well-rested. I had hoped the demon didn't do anything bad on the inside since your outside was fine, but you seem back to your normal self, so the demon didn't do anything bad, si?" He didn't answer, just glared at me. I let out another nervous chuckle and inched back a little. "Well, since you're okay, I'll just be going out and stuff, but I'll check in on you later~" The minute those words left my mouth, I dashed for the door.

Unfortunately, I always easily forget how fast an Italian is, especially one who is scared or pissed enough. I was about 2 feet away when I felt something heavy slam right into me and send me to the ground on my side. Lovi was on top of me and started punching at me. We've play-fought before when he was a teen, but it was always playful and we walked away without much injury. This was different. It felt like Lovi was giving his all to hurt me. I winced over and over, feeling all the bruises forming on my arms and chest. I didn't try to protect myself in the least, aside from my face, which Lovi didn't even aim for.

It took me a moment to realize that he was yelling at me. I picked out words like "stupid fucking idiot" and "what were you thinking". It was in that same moment that I felt his weight disappear. I focused to see Francis, Gilbert, and Canada kneeling next to me and yelling if I was alright, Germany and Japan holding Lovi by the arms while he struggled, and Feli in between us with his back to me to try to calm Lovi down. "Let me go! I'm gonna kill him! You stupid fucking bastard!"

"Veh, Lovi, please! Just relax, okay? It's okay! It's over! Just stop and take deep breaths!" I heard Feli repeat over and over. Lovi eventually stopped thrashing around and relaxed. Germany and Japan still held onto him until Feli took over and grabbed him by the forearms. "Let's go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up. Then, we'll eat a nice bowl of pasta together. Okay?" Lovi stared at his brother, anger still present on his face. When he looked at me, though, I could see the pain flash in his eyes before they hardened. It hurt more than his punches.

"We'll talk later." Lovi declared bluntly before letting Feli lead him into the bathroom. I watched him leave with Feli. I faintly heard the others talking to me. As expected, Lovi was really pissed. I expected that. The last thing I wanted, however, was to see that he had been hurt, all because of me. I'm supposed to protect him at all costs, not cause all of his pain. That's why I came here with him; that's why I challenged the demon. I'll deal with any punch he throws at me if it means that he won't be hurting anymore.

I managed to snap out of my sentimental thoughts enough to notice Francis healing my wounds. I surveyed the damage. Some faint bruises already started to form, but Lovi also seemed to have scratched my arm and thigh (Francis said it was from Lovi's shoe and it looked like the only accidental injury I have). I assured him and everyone else that I was fine. They still looked worried, but went to get some food instead of questioning me further.

The nations decided to set the mood by turning out the lights and lighting a bunch of candles to make it look like nighttime. We all had a nice dinner of pasta, _carne_, and an assortment of veggies. All of the nations except for Feli and Lovi were there. They still haven't come out of the bathroom, but I wasn't exactly complaining. I kept zoning in and out, imagining how my talk with Lovi will go. Will he yell at me? Will he question me? What if we start crying? I hope he'll go outside of the safe room to talk, at least. Gilbert kept having to snap his fingers or wave his arms in my face to get me to eat. That's how distracted I was.

The bathroom door opened and the freshly clean Italians came out. Feli skipped over to sit next to Germany. "Vee, you finished the pasta without me! Oh, but it looks delicious. I've taught you well, Luddy!" He gave the flustered buff blonde a hug.

"Spain." I responded faster than I think I've ever had when I heard my name being called. Lovi was standing right in front of the staircase going to the exit, his face partially covered by shadow. He didn't sound angry anymore, thankfully. I saw him lift his finger and curl it, his 'get your butt over here now' gesture. I thought I heard murmurs of good luck, but I didn't pay any attention. I swallowed and stood up. Lovi went down the stairs and through the door with me following close behind.

I closed the safe room door behind us and turned back around to look at Lovi. He stood with his arms crossed, wearing only his undershirt and boxers now for bed. He still looked angry, but not murderous. I guess Feli really calmed him down. I still had to be careful or he might snap on me again. Feli warned me to tread lightly and that is what I intend to do. I kept quiet and waited for Lovi to speak.

He tried several times to do so, opening and closing his mouth and his expressions dancing between anger and attempts at calm. I wanted to tell him that it was okay to yell at me, but something told me that wasn't the best idea. After a moment of fish lip motions and weird growling sounds coming from his throat, Lovi finally took a deep breath and looked me square in the eyes. "I knew you were an idiot, but this is just beyond _anything _I imagined you would do." I blinked. What did he imagine I would do?

"I—"

"**DON'T… even… **say it." He warned. My voice faltered. "Do you even realize what the hell you have done? You challenged the fucking KING of the only creature ever to be able to kill nations to a one-on-one battle!"

"Without magic." I reminded him meekly.

"You think that fucking matters?! It doesn't need magic!"

"It would still make things easier."

"That won't help you at all anyway!" He huffed and paced away, hand pushing back his hair.

"It was either that or no deal, and then we would've gone right back to where we started."

"I don't give a damn! It would've been better than risking your life!"

"If there's a choice, I'd rather give myself up than let you think you were useless again!" I fiercely argued. He didn't answer, just clutched his forehead. "Besides, it was better than Japan's plan." Lovi snorted at that.

"_I _wanted to laugh at their plan like that, it was so stupid." He shook his head and scowled at me. "A dumber plan doesn't make yours any smarter, Spain."

"You assume I won't win, too?" I half glared at the ground, surprised at how hurt I was over this fact. I already knew Lovi would assume the worst, not because of the monster, but because that's usually the way he thinks. He turned and walked over to get somewhat in my face.

"Of course you won't win! No one can! You're not strong enough! It's too smart for anyone to match against! You put everything on the line on the slim chance that you will be able to kill the bastard! Do you know how much we'll lose if I lose you?!" His voice came out cracked and angry tears sprang up. The flash of pain returned to his eyes before he looked away to quickly wipe away the tears.

His words hit me harder than any punch I expected him to throw. Looking at him now, he was only angry with me because it was easier to say that than to say that he was scared. He was scared that I would lose, that I'll be gone, and that we'll have to go through this again. I took a deep breath and reached out to pull him closer tentivally. I could link my hands by the fingers behind his back before he seemed to realize that I was trying to hug him and put his hands out against my chest to keep me back. I didn't feel any pressure, though. He wasn't pushing me away. He just kept me from getting closer.

"Lovi." I murmured, trying to be soothing. He still didn't look at me. "Lovi, have a little more faith in me, please? You know that I am a good fighter. You know that I can take care of myself. I won't let anyone die, even if I have to die try—"

"No!" His hands tightened on my shirt. "No. No one will die. Not you, not Feli. No one." I half smiled.

"Okay, everyone stays alive."

"Promise?" His voice was very small, I almost didn't hear it. He sounded like a little kid again. So cute, and so sad. I cleared my throat and lifted my hands to put on his shoulders just like I did with Feli. I then leaned in close to put my forehead to his so we were eye to eye. I heard him draw a breath in surprise at how close I was. My heart beat a little faster too, but I ignored it.

"Romano, I swear on my life, my very existence, that I will win, I will stay alive, we will all get out of here alive, and we will go back to leading our lives far away from this place. We will go back to the safe life of being a nation and going to boring meetings and everything. We will spend the night at Japan's as planned. Capito?"

Lovi just stared at me for a long time, his eyes wide from shock. As my promise flowed out, he seemed to relax a little. Somewhere along the lines, a new emotion flashed on his face, but I couldn't catch it. I waited for him to say anything when I was done. He finally nodded, just a little. "Y—yeah… you will get out alive…" I frowned at the weird, sad way he said that, but I didn't have the chance to think on it before he yanked me into a hug.

I stood frozen in surprise when he was suddenly squeezing me. I felt his face press into my shoulder blade. "I'm holding you to that, bastard. You better not disappoint me." I heard him grumble against my collarbone. I smiled softly and held him.

"Of course, Lovi. For you, I will prevail." I rubbed his back gently. It might have been my imagination, but I felt him squeeze me closer or press closer.

It felt like seconds, but he put his hands to my chest and pushed me back. I let him go and obediently stepped away. He eyed me for a moment, jaw tight and eyes watery again, before crossing his arms across his chest. "We should head back in. I'm hungry and sleepy, dammit, and you have a fight to prepare for."

"Si, Lovi!" I smiled brightly and playfully saluted. He seemed to hesitate before letting the corner of his mouth perk up just a bit. It disappeared quickly and he rushed past me to get to the door, but I am still going to remember that little smile.

**X-X-X**

It was sometime in the middle of the night (for us, but Austria said he was going to bed when I called after dinner, so maybe out there too) and the room was partially dark. The others left a few candles burning, so light and shadow danced around the row of beds. The rest of the safe room—the kitchen, dining area, and door to the bathroom—was pitch black.

I couldn't sleep at all. It was probably because of my huge nap earlier, but it doesn't help that I was keeping myself up. I just couldn't stop thinking about the upcoming fight. Any wrong move could result in my loss, and the death of everyone here. It made me nervous. I half considered sneaking out and practicing some moves, but I didn't want to wake anyone either. I tried going through battle strategies in my mind and was actually starting to doze off.

Just when I was sinking into a dream, I heard rustling sounds and floorboard creaks. I opened an eye and saw the outline of a person shuffling off toward the kitchen. There was a small bang when the person walked into a bed and a whispered string of curses. A candle from in between the beds across from me gave just a bit of visibility. I sat up slowly. "Hey." I murmured as loudly as I could without waking anyone.

The person froze for a second before turning to look at me. He was still stuck in a silly position where he was clutching his shin from the spot where it hit the bed post. The light was very dim, but the curl that stood out gave me a good idea about who it was. "Lovi? Is that you?"

"Shh!" I heard the person hiss. "Not so loud, bastard. You'll wake someone." Yep, it was Lovi.

"What—" I yawned and rubbed my eye. "What are you doing up?" He got out of the silly stance he was in and walked closer. I saw his face briefly as he warningly put a finger to his lips.

"Nothing. I couldn't sleep, so I went to get a drink, but it's too fucking dark to walk around. Why are you still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep either, then you were making noise." I winced when he hit my shoulder. I felt a dip in my bed, but because there was little to no light by my bed, I couldn't see him.

"Shut up! Why can't you sleep? Don't tell me you had nightmares too." He scoffed in his throat and I could see the outline of his head move when he shook his head.

"No, just nervous about tomorrow." I frowned. "You had a nightmare?"

"Wh—I, ah…" He stammered in hushed tones. "N—no, of course not."

"You're an awful liar, Lovi."

"If it wasn't you, I'd be a damn good liar." I heard him grumble. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me.

"What was it about? Maybe if you talk about it, you'll feel better." I offered. I saw him shift slightly in his seat.

"I—it was nothing, really. Just worried about tomorrow too, I guess. Not about you! Hell, as long as you don't drop dead, I don't care. Just—"

"The demon scares you?" I offered, smiling at his cute stammering. I heard him splutter, probably trying to lie again, before he stopped and sighed. I heard a little 'mmhm' come from his throat. "Well, you don't have to be afraid. Boss will protect you from the big bad demons." I puffed out my chest.

"You don't know what you're saying." He finally murmured.

"Of course I do. The demon named Steve is fighting _me_ not _you_. If he wants you or Feli or anyone else, he's gonna have to get through me first."

"Steve." Lovi snorted. "Only America would come up with that dumbass name."

"Hey, it got him to talk." I shrugged.

"No, it only talked because it realized that you're all a bunch of tools. Then again, he could've just seen that from my thoughts."

"He read your thoughts?"

"Mmhm." He stiffened suddenly. "That's what makes him scarier. I can still feel him reading all of my thoughts, seeing what I see. It was pretty damn disturbing." I frowned. Feli never mentioned that happening to him. Did he just not say so? Or is Lovi the first? Just the thought of my mind being read like a book like that, seeing every private part in my mind. It would scare me, too.

"S—so, what did you think of me, then?" I tried to lighten the mood again. I leaned over and bumped what felt like his shoulder with my head. "Didja think of how cool Boss was? Hmmm? Maybe that's why Steve took my deal." I heard a little laugh escape him before I felt him shove my head. I fell back on the bed.

"You're so weird."

"Does that mean I'm wrong?"

"I thought… you were a dumbass for making the deal. If the demon got anything else, I don't know what it was." I saw Lovi shrug. The little hesitation there made me curious. It sounded like Lovi cut something out of his own sentence. "I got to get back to my own bed and try to get some sleep." He started to get up.

"Hold on. Will you be okay alone if you're having nightmares?" I saw him turn to look at me. I can just imagine the affronted face he is making.

"I'm not a little kid, Spain. I can handle a few bad dreams." He turned back around.

"If that were true, you'd be sleeping now. Plus, sleeping with someone else may make you feel better."

"That's what you said about talking about it."

"Well, did talking about it work?" He didn't respond, so I continued. "How about you lay down with me and stay until you fall asleep, then I'll carry you back to your bed. That okay?" There was another long pause. I heard a soft sigh before I saw him turn all the way around and shuffle closer again. There was a thump and he winced.

"Ouch! Shit, fucking piece of crap! German-made cheap-ass bed!" He hissed, clutching his leg again. I tried not to laugh as I reached over and felt for his hands around his leg. He made a yelping sound when I found his leg instead. "Your hands are freezing!"

"Shh, keep your voice down, Lovi~" I chuckled, just a little, and finally found his hands. As I tugged them, I shimmied back until I felt the pillows against my lower back, then tugged down. Lovi thankfully understood my directions and lowered himself carefully to sit on the bed. Figuring that he wouldn't appreciate me leading him to my lap, I guided him to the empty spot beside me. His hand let go of mine to help him crawl until I heard the _doof_ sound of the pillow being smacked. He let go of my other hand and readjusted to lay against the pillows beside me.

I couldn't even remember the last time Lovi and I shared a bed. It must've been centuries, at least, when he was little and preferred my bed to his (for some odd reason he never told me about). Even when he stayed over at my house or I at his, we used guest rooms or futons or even the couch (Lovi's couch is stylish, but it messed up my back for at least a week).

I laid back and reached over to hug him, but he must've seen it coming, because he suddenly murmured "if you start any cuddly shit, you'll be sleeping on the floor."

"Aww, but then how will I ward off the bad demons?" I pouted.

"I don't know, tell them to fuck off or something. Just let me sleep, bastard." I faintly saw him turn on his side and lay completely on the bed. I followed his lead so, hopefully, we were face to face (I'm assuming he didn't roll the other way and I wasn't blindly looking at the back of his head.) "Hmph, this bed is comfier than mine. I knew that German bastard was playing favorites." He grumbled.

"We picked our own beds, though."

"Then he somehow knew that I would pick that one!"

"You're so silly, Lovi." I chuckled, reaching over to poke his cheek. It was very warm. "Ah, you're warm. Are you getting sick?"

"Worrying about my health in this kind of place?" I practically heard him roll his eyes. "I'm fine. Your hand is just cold."

"Ah? My bad." I started to withdraw my hand, but I felt Lovi grab my wrist and pull it back to his face. I felt his hand press mine to his cheek.

"It feels good." He grumbled lowly, sounding embarrassed. I smiled but didn't say a word.

"Good night, Lovi." I murmured. I heard him make a 'mmm' sound as his only response. I closed my eyes, but kept myself alert, using my hand to tell if Lovi was asleep or not. He was still, but I could tell that he was still awake.

"Spain?"

"Lovi, you should sleep." I hummed.

"Tch, I know that. It's just… will you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"No matter what happens, no matter what someone says or does, will you kill the demon?" I opened an eye and eyed his shaded face curiously.

"That's an odd thing to request."

"Will you just do it? For me? P—please?" I could tell he forced the plea out. I frowned and nodded.

"Sure, I already was going to do so." I heard him sigh.

"Good."

"Can I ask why?"

"No, go to sleep."

"Please?"

"I—" He hesitated. I felt his jaw tense. "I just don't want you to fall for the demon's tricks."

"Ah, okay." There it was again, the feeling that he had cut something out of his sentence. Maybe later, I'll get the chance to ask him again, when I can look at his face and make sure.

"Night." I heard him whisper, snapping me out of my thoughts. I smiled and ran my thumb against his cheekbone.

"Night Lovi. May you have peaceful dreams." Hmm, I should sing to him. After a moment of thought, I started to hum a careless little tune under my breath, which then turned into a lullaby. I had forgotten when I sung it before, but it sounded very familiar.

"_Me gustaría hacerme creer_

_que el planeta Tierra gira lentamente_

_Es difícil decir que preferiría quedarme_

_despierto cuando estoy dormido_

_Porque todo nunca es lo que parece_

_Cuando me duermo_"

I felt Lovi's face relax and his breathing slow just as my eyes felt heavy. I managed to breath out the last word before I drifted to sleep.

* * *

**Translations:**

_carne- _meat

_the song (word for word)-_ I'd like to make myself believe

that planet Earth turns slowly

It's hard to say that I'd rather

stay away when I'm asleep

because everything is never as it seems

when I fall asleep

* * *

**If you've ever read my previous fics, you'd know what that song was and why it's completely adorable to use in this situation XP. As of now, the final arc has begun. 5 more chapters until this fic is complete (not counting the epilogue).**

**Rate and Review~**


	26. Read the Fine Print

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**Sorry for the wait. As a treat, the next chapter should be up this weekend.**

* * *

By the time I was completely awake, whatever dream I had slipped away. I kept my eyes closed, hoping to bring it back. Nope, it was gone. Oh fucking well. Who needed dreams anyway? I could actually use a little less of that subconscious shit. I winced internally. Even if I didn't remember my dream, my nightmare was crystal clear, no matter how hard I tried to forget. The demon's voice, the vice grip on every single muscle I had, the darkness. Veneziano said being possessed was like a prison inside yourself. He wasn't wrong, but to me, it was more like being stuffed in a box with a TV screen. I saw and heard everything, still felt everything, but it wasn't me who moved or spoke.

The worst part was when Spain decided to butt in. I wanted to grab him kick him out of the room, punch him until his mouth swelled, simply tell him to shut up, _anything _if it got him to never say a word to the demon. I was forced to sit there and listen to him instead. No one even tried to stop him, except maybe France and Prussia once. I'm just as pissed at them, but I had more white-hot fury toward Spain. Not anymore, though. I can't stay mad at him anymore, not with things the way they are.

I was completely awake now and even saw the light from the room under my eyelids. I can't waste time sleeping. I sighed, opened one eye slowly, and nearly got a heart attack when I saw the blurry outline of a face just inches from mine. I blinked and rubbed my eyes to focus. It was Spain, still snoring away. I made a face. He probably fell asleep before he could carry me back to my own bed.

I slowly sat up, feeling Spain's arm and the blanket I was under slide from my waist to my lap (must've tried to cuddle me during the night, sneaky asshole), as memories of last night came flooding back. I gazed at his calm sleeping face. I still remember the day before, when I told him he had a better chance of hell freezing over than us sharing a bed. So much has changed and it's only been 3 motherfucking days. It's like I just woke up from an acid trip.

I started to slip out from under the blanket and Spain's arm, careful not to wake the clingy bastard. It looks like some people were still asleep, but I heard chatter coming from the main room. I stood up, shivering once from the slight cold that hit my legs, and I walked toward the bathroom. I hoped the showers are open, at least. My skin felt like it was covered in grit or something.

For some reason, I was strangely groggy, like when I woke up from being possessed. Most voices came through like gibberish when I was close enough to hear, so I just ignored it and focused on the nagging pain in my leg as well as walking properly. Stupid beds, stupid Potato making the stupid beds. If I find a big-ass bruise on my shin, there will be hell to pay.

"…Italian wankers." I froze when I suddenly heard a coherent set of words. I looked around and realized I had stopped at the foot of England's bed. He still looked half asleep, eyeing me with annoyance. I frowned when I realized he had been talking to/about me.

"Huh?"

"I said, do you Italian wankers have no shame, strutting around pants-less? Honestly, I get enough public indiscretion from France." He rolled over and went back to sleep.

"Whatever." I muttered and yawned, not even going to bother asking what he was yammering about. I walked a little closer to the main room, slow because of the pain in my damn leg, when the full realization of England's words hit me. Pants-less? But I put on boxers for bed. I looked down. I was still wearing the undershirt I slept in, but my boxers… where are my boxers?! "YAAAH!" I shreaked and scrambled to find cover. I yanked off the covers from the nearest empty bed to wrap around my waist just as Veneziano and Prussia ran over in alarm.

"What happened?! Who screamed?!" Veneziano looked around before his eyes zeroed in on me and the sheet I had wrapped around the lower half of my body. He blinked and frowned. "Big bro, why are you wearing a sheet?"

"N-no reason." The bastard saw me before bed last night, he knew I had boxers on. I scrambled for an excuse.

"Lovi!" Oh hell no. I didn't want to turn and look—I _really _didn't—but I did anyway. Spain was sitting up, wide awake, holding up my boxers with one finger.

"Veh, big bro, you took off your pants when you slept in Tonio's bed?" Veneziano stared at me with big, innocent eyes. Prussia looked like he was going to explode from held-in laughter. I shot him a glare, not bearing to meet Veneziano's eyes, and stomped over to Spain. After a few slips because of the long sheet, I made it to his bed. He tentatively held out my boxers for me to take, cheeks dusted with red. Hah, I bet my face looked like I was going to puff out steam from my ears or some shit. I snatched it out of his hand with one hand while the other held the sheet and rushed out of there like a bat out of hell to the bathroom.

I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, trying to stop my heart from being so damn hard. That was possibly the most humiliating thing that has ever happened, and at pretty much the worst possible timing. England saw me naked, Veneziano and Prussia caught me in a sheet, and both of them saw Spain with my underwear. I feel like the image of Spain with that red face holding _that _article of clothing will be forever burned into my head.

I looked around the bathroom. It didn't look or sound like there was anyone else in here. I sighed, relieved for the privacy. I found my clean clothes on the counter (Japan did the laundry again—did the man ever sleep?) and went to one of the showers. I set my clothes aside and took off the sheet to set aside in a separate pile with my undershirt and boxers.

I could feel my heart slowing, my anger draining away. I can't stay mad, not today, not at him. I peeked at the mirror before I stepped into the shower. That might just be the last time I'll get to see it.

**X-X-X**

I didn't bother trying to go into the bathroom while Lovi was in there, so I just threw on my clean clothes without a shower. I thanked the tireless Japan for doing the laundry and we all had breakfast. Gilbert and Francis were still laughing over what happened this morning and prodding at me to tell them what happened last night. They were disappointed by the truth.

"Just talking? Boo! You can't expect us to believe that nothing happened." Francis pouted.

"It's the truth." I told him simply before taking a bite of my tomato.

"But he woke up without pants on! You said yourself that you found them on the floor by your bed. I think something DID happen and you just won't 'kiss and tell'." Gilbert argued.

"He used to kick off clothes when he was young. Maybe he did that last night." I shrugged. "Besides, wouldn't you have heard us if it did happen? At least when you talk, you can whisper."

"Okay, fine, maybe nothing happened, but don't deny that you _wanted _something to happen, Toni." Francis accused, digging into his food finally. Gilbert made a sound of agreement in his throat between chews of his wurst.

"A-ah." I sighed out unintentionally. I bit into my tomato again and ended up staring at it. I still remember the blood clock room, how I ate Lovi's tomato right from his hand. It gave me a warm rush in the pit of my stomach every time I thought about it. It gives me a rush right this second. I also remember the red hue his face gets constantly; the pale, drained face that scared me to death; even a bit further in the past, when I gave him his very first tomato to try and all the days he helped me in the garden. Those memories are a little more faint.

While my memories faded slowly, when it comes to Romano, the feeling behind every single memory just grew stronger as I made more in here. I don't even remember most of what happened before this place, so I can't blame my overprotectiveness, surge of bravery, anything on any past experiences. In this house, you get a clean slate where you have become human and time doesn't matter anymore. When we came, Lovi and I may have been friends, but now it feels like it has grown into more than that.

He doesn't seem to understand it either, just how important he has become to me. I took him to the past, not Feli. I kept him safe in the second time loop, as I always would and have promised to do so long ago. I challenged the demon for him, so we could finally put a stop to this madness and just go home. Even last night gave me an electric charge in my veins that I have never felt before, for anyone.

Francis and Gilbert were right. I did wish something had happened last night, like that he would've let me hold him or that I had told him exactly how much he meant to me. I could see the reflection from the shiny tomato skin smile at me, but it quickly turned into a frown. This was only wishful thinking. Even if we got out of this God-forsaken house alive, we'll go back to being nations. Work and stress will continue; bosses and rules will stand in our way. Not to mention that I don't know how he feels. If I tell him how much I care about him, he could completely reject it. I know too well how possible that is.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't hear the bathroom door open. I jumped when it slammed shut and turned around to look. Well, speak of the devil. "Ciao fratello!" Feli chirped, waving from his seat enthusiastically. Lovi nodded to him in answer. His hair was still wet and falling partway in his face. His skin looked soft and red from the shower. He looked so handsome.

I scooted over until I almost fell off the edge of the bench and waved him over. He eyed me almost cautiously for a moment before walking closer and sitting beside me. He stood again for a moment to gather his food. I wanted to tell him right now. Even if it may never be possible, he still deserves to know. I might get my hopes up if I do it before the fight, not to mention what that might do to him if I don't make it. After the fight? That's assuming I will win. Augh, this love thing is really difficult, if it is love.

I was jolted from my thoughts once again when Lovi slammed down his plate and was grumbling under his breath between bites of pasta. I looked at him, then his plate, and then along the table. It took a moment before I noticed the distinct lack of a certain red vegetable. "Are we out of tomatoes?"

"Yes." Lovi snarled, stabbing at his food with his fork. I looked down at the tomato in my hand, only two bites out of it. I held it up.

"Do you want some of mine?" He looked up and his eyes immediately lit up. I bit back a grin. Lovi never noticed, but his eyes always lit up when he saw a tomato. It didn't matter what kind of mood he was in or the status of the tomato. He reached out to grab the tomato, but an idea struck me and I moved it away. He blinked and glared at me.

"You said I could have some!"

"You can…" I hesitated, trying to find words. Then, I smiled, made sure the unbitten side of the tomato was turned toward him, and held it closer to his face. "Just one bite, deal?" He stared at me in confusion for a second before it changed to realization. He scowled and tried to protest, but only managed to make sounds like "I—ah—wh—yo—". He later gave up and pursed his lips while staring at the tomato I still held, looking like he was actually thinking about it. Finally, he gave a small nod, bent forward, and took a biiiig bite from the tomato, straight from my hand. I felt his teeth graze my finger and I flinched at the funny feeling.

I felt a warmth shoot up from my fingers all through my bones. I had to swallow a shudder. Our eyes locked on each other as he slowly pulled back to chew his big bite. He swallowed and looked at me weirdly. "Thanks." He finally murmured.

"Anytime." I smiled. He turned back to his food and I ate the rest of the tomato. After the fight, when I win, I'll tell him.

**X-X-X**

"If everyone is done eating, we'll start the meeting." Japan announced when we were done with washing dishes. Some of us were wet from the splashing (and the water fight I started with England. I won~). We sat down in the same seats as before. "As you all know, today is the fight between Spain and Steve."

"Who's Steve?" Feli wondered.

"That's what America named the demon." Germany explained.

"At any case" Japan continued. "I believe only a small group goes with him to oversee the battle. The rest of us will stay here, contact those outside, and pack up to leave the mansion."

"Sounds good. Who wants to go with Spain?" America asked.

"I'm going." Lovi spoke up right away. He looked stern, but also very unwilling.

"Are you sure, Lovi?" I asked gently. He looked at me with hard eyes.

"I'm going." He repeated. I didn't protest.

"Okay, anyone else?"

"I want to go." Feli volunteered. "I just want to see it killed and get it all over with and done."

"Then I'm coming with you." Germany put a hand on the Italian's shoulder. No one protested; Lovi didn't even make a peep.

"I'll go too. No offense, but I don't trust Spain to fix everything when it goes sour." I rolled my eyes at the typical comment made by England.

"I'll accompany you, if that's all right." Japan politely said.

"That's fine. Let's leave it at that, then." America declared. "So Spain, Romano, Italy, Germany, England, and Japan will go to the fight. One or two of you should have your phone so you can contact us."

"If Spain were to lose, God forbid, we ought to be contacted straight away." Canada spoke up.

"Correct, so we can be prepared to fight."

"I'll have mine." Germany held his phone up. "I charged it last night."

"So the rest of us will stay here and wait?" Gilbert checked.

"Yes, we will stay and wait for the call with the outcome of the battle, then call the outside world and pack up." Everybody was in agreement. My group got their weapons and we said good bye to the remaining nations.

"Good luck, Anton!" Gilbert gave me a hug, then passed me to Francis.

"In case something happens to you, j—just know how much we love you, my friend." Francis' eyes started tearing up a little.

"Dammit, France, you'll make me cry now!" Gilbert rubbed an eye.

"Mis amigos, don't be sad. I'll be back!" I reassured them, my eyes stinging. We all hugged once more, Francis dampening my shoulder. I don't know how long we stayed hugging, but Lovi was soon dragging me away. Everyone shouted out their wishes of good luck as we went down the stairs. Germany stepped forth to unlock the steel door. The halberd on my back felt a few pounds heavier now. I took a deep breath. Here goes everything.

**X-X-X**

Once the door was locked behind us, we were on our way. Japan kept a hand on England, who was still slowly restoring his magic and eyesight. Feli clung to Germany. I half wished Lovi would do that too, instead of the slight distance he kept.

"Where do we go, anyway?" He wondered. I stopped. That was a good question. I didn't say where the battle should be, nor did the demon. Before I could ask the others for advice, one of the monsters appeared across the hall from us and started walking toward us.

"Eeek!" Feli squeaked. I reached instinctively to grab my axe from my back and I heard Japan behind me starting to draw his sword from his scabbard. The monster didn't attack nor did it seem like it would, however. It snorted and moved its head in a small jolt toward the side, then turned and walked down the stairs. Halfway down, it looked back at our frozen figures and repeated the motion.

"I think it wants us to follow." I mused.

"How nice, the demon sent an escort." England snorted sarcastically. I ignored him and cautiously went down the stairs and heard the others follow. The monster walked slowly, turning around sometimes to look at us before continuing. We came down to the first floor and headed for the Japanese-styled rooms. For one horrifying moment, I thought the fight will be in the annex.

The monster led us through the screen doorway. It had been emptied out of objects that had been there before, but the room wasn't all empty when we arrived. Across the room from us was a whole group of monsters. The big muscular ones, the big-headed ones, even a squid thing or two. "There's so many of them." Feli whimpered.

"The demon must want them to stand by to kill us." Germany gruffly said.

"Or it wants an audience." Japan murmured mysteriously. I took another deep breath and stepped forward. In the end, it doesn't matter why the monsters are there, after all.

"I'm ready to fight! Bring out your leader!" I called out to the monsters. They made hissing sounds that sounded a little like laughter. I ignored it and waited. Nothing; not a shadow nor any monster stepping forward. "Show yourself!" I yelled. Silence, aside from the monsters' laughter. I frowned, annoyed and cautious. If they're laughing, does that mean that the demon is planning some trick? Is it giving up, or is it going to do something big?

Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the room a little. Before I could turn to look, Lovi walked past me in a strut. My annoyance flipped to worry like a switch. "Lovi?"

"Veh, fratello? Where are you going?" Feli sounded just as worried.

"What is he doing?"

"I'm not sure. Romano!" Japan tried calling. Lovi either ignored us or didn't hear. He kept walking straight toward the monsters. He drew his halberd. The monsters' laughs quieted, and there was a strange air of anticipation coming from them. Was Lovi planning to attack them?

"Lovi, no! Those things aren't worth the trouble. This is my fight, I can handle them." I assured him. He kept going. "Come back! I don't want you getting hurt!" He finally stopped, holding his halberd in one hand at his side. He seemed to have his head tilted down to look at it, at the blade. I was going to ask him to return again when he turned completely around. My voice died in my throat and I think my heart stopped as well. A pair of pitch black eyes watched my reaction with amusement.

"**That's too bad. I'm afraid you don't have a choice~**"

**X-X-X**

"What's the meaning of this?!" England exclaimed, sounding outraged. He was the first one to speak out of all of us, breaking the pregnant silence. I heard Feli try to withhold sobs and Germany was trying to comfort him. It may have been Japan, though. I couldn't even turn to look. I was shaking a little too much from anger.

"This was not a part of the deal." I tried keeping my voice under control, but it came out a little shaky as well. Lovi—or Steve, rather—chuckled.

"**Really? All you said was that we can choose a weapon as long as it doesn't use magic**" He held up the halberd. "**and you never specified who you meant to fight when you challenged me—or rather, us~**"

"Get out of him!" I demanded harshly, any restraint in my voice gone. Lovi smiled, Steve twisting it into something evil, and positioned himself in a battle stance.

"**Why don't you come make me?**" he purred. I gritted my teeth, but my halberd drooped toward the ground. No amount of anger toward Steve persuaded me to take the bait. Even if it's a demon, one I set out to kill, I can't kill Lovi. I never could harm my Romano, in any time or place.

The demon watched my axe lower with a smirk, straightening from his stance. "**What, you're giving up? Do you know what that means?**" I didn't answer. He chuckled; it sounded so wrong. "**All you humans are weak, cowardly things, ruled by emotion. Demons cannot feel. We let our mind rule, letting us be so much more powerful.**

"**When there is something weaker than you, your destiny is to devour it. It's the nature of the world. As soon as I win, I'll make sure you weak creatures are purged. My minions will rip you to pieces, you will be captured—**" He looked over my shoulder specifically. I heard Feli whimper. "**and I'll use this body's memory to find your little safe room.**" Someone behind me gasped. "**They will be destroyed. I'll kill my prey myself and leave this body just long enough for him to see the damage I caused; the damaged HE caused. He will beg for his death and I will oblige.**" His smirk became so much more twisted. "**As we have done before.**"

This is what Lovi and Feli were so afraid of, why they thought I wouldn't win. The demon is cunning, pure evil, and unfeeling. He is limited to Lovi's strength, so I might have a chance, but winning implies I have to kill him to eject the demon, and that isn't an option. There is no world for me or for Feli if we lost Romano. Feli would turn back time if that happens, and it would all have to happen all over again.

I remembered Lovi's words from last night, to kill the demon no matter what. He was trying to warn me of this. He was also telling me to go on without him. My heart sank. How could I do that? How could I hope to live a normal life again knowing that I've lost someone who is as close as family is to me, maybe even closer? Someone who I care about more than anything? My eyes stung, but I ignored them. The last thing Lovi asked me to do was to kill this bastard. I can't give up and I can't disappoint him!

My grip tightened on my halberd's shaft and I spread my legs out in a wide battle stance. I glared at the monster's eyes, the black abyss that dared cover the warm golden-brown. "Are you gonna talk or are you gonna fight me?" It sneered and re-positioned himself once again.

"**Come and get me, ****España~.**"

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**The final battle begins! 4 more main chapters to go.**

**Rate and Review~**


	27. Dance of Death and Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**So many reviews... I'd say you guys were more excited about this chapter than I am, but that probably isn't possible ^^*. This is one of my absolute favorites in this fic. It was one of the few that both wrote itself and made me react while writing it.**

**Two warnings: The first part of this, the one in complete italics, is a memory. Also, there is a short Romano PoV in the middle. The rest is Spain.**

* * *

"_You jerk, it's too heavy!" Little Romano, no older than 12 physically, staggered under the weight of my might halberd. I laughed, brushing back my hair (it was really getting long), and took it from him with ease. I propped it up on my shoulder._

"_Soon, you'll be strong enough to lift it." I handed him the smaller axe I got for him to practice. "For now, let's see what you have learned." Romano nodded and got into his stance, then thrust the axe out, swung it upward, and turned with one foot rooted to the ground while swinging the axe in a complete circle around him, ending up back in position but a few feet away from the starting point. "Muy bien! Remember, your weapon—"_

"—_should be like an extra sharp limb." Romano finished for me, straightening up. I smiled and patted his head._

"_Exactly~."_

"_Why do I have to learn this shit, anyway?" He grumbled, weighing his weapon in his hands. "I thought you were just going to fight for me."_

"_I can't always be around to fight your battles, Roma, especially when you leave me one day. While I'm away in the New World, I want you to know how to protect yourself already. Then later, when you're grown, you can handle your battles without me."_

"_I can already handle myself!" He puffed out his cheeks. He looked like a pink puffer fish. I chuckled._

"_Better safe than sorry, Roma. One day, you could even be fighting England or France with this." I held up my halberd._

"_Can I lob off France's head?"_

"_Err…"_

"_And what if the person I fight is you?" I blinked. He looked away, face lit up with blush, but I could still see the worried frown he had on. I smiled and kneeled to comb his hair from his face, a soft and comforting gesture._

"_If it were up to me, I'd never go against you."_

"_What if it wasn't up to you?"_

"_Would YOU fight against me?" My eyebrow rose. He scowled and shoved my chest._

"_Crappy bitch, I could take you if I wanted to, dammit!"_

"_Ack, ooh, Roma, you wound me!" I fell over dramatically. The clumsy child lost his balance and fell on top of me across me, stomach to stomach. I made an 'oof' sound when he squished my stomach, but then burst out laughing. I could feel him laughing a little, too. "I know you could beat me, but do you really want to fight me?"_

"_No." Romano admitted. "But what if we didn't have a choice. What if your boss made you do it or something?"_

"_Well…" I smiled weakly, patting his back spread across my midsection. "We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen."_

Hell of a job we did with that. I didn't even know what to expect when I thought of fighting Lovi/Steve. It's been centuries since Lovi even touched an axe, because no one used close-combat weapons much when he went to war. His nation used guns, so he used guns as well. I wouldn't have even remembered how to fight with my halberd if I didn't practice with it daily. Not to mention how nothing I taught him ever stuck; teaching him Spanish was a bigger hell than fighting France half the time.

So imagine my surprise when our battle begun and he was using his halberd like a pro. I wondered if the demon tapped into those lessons in Lovi's mind or if Lovi really truly learned them and never forgot. Either way, we were evenly matched. He deflected my blows and I sidestepped his. I tried to keep us at a distance, but for some reason, he kept getting close. We were engaged in a dangerous dance, one where a single step in the wrong direction could destroy either of us. We were getting nowhere, simply deflecting and using simple blows, until he managed to cut my shoulder.

I swallowed a cry and kept moving. "**You look tired.**" It taunted when we got back to our rhythm. "**Feel free to lie down. I'll help you feel relaxed~.**"

"Go to hell." I snapped, thrusting. He stepped aside, but I managed to nick his side.

"**Ouch. That hurt, bastard.**" He pouted before retaliating. The demon never missed a chance to taunt and bait me whenever we were close enough for him to whisper to me. He kept making snide comments about me that only Romano really knows, or comments about Romano's thoughts at the moment or recent other thoughts. I never lost focus, but I can't say I never faltered, either.

We managed to get more cuts on each other before I started wearing down. I could feel myself getting more and more tired. "**You know, being in this body is very interesting**." It mused between hits. He didn't even seem winded. "**The electrifying rush in his veins with every clash; the pounding of his heart, of YOUR heart; his attempts to hold back even when I have full control.**" It laughed, sounding almost giddy. I ignored the demon and focused on fighting. I couldn't keep this up forever. I have to bring the demon down. I thought about weak points.

"**Without emotion, I didn't understand this body's thoughts and actions.**" I have seen no specific weak points in its fighting this far. "**But I think I'm starting to figure it out.**" Wait… if this thing is limited to Lovi's limitations— "**Why he begged and pled for death when you were gone—**" –then it has Lovi's weaknesses too. "**Why he thought so much about you while I took him over—**" I have to get closer to him again, and assume the right position. "**Why his last farewell was only with you—**" Almost there, just have to lead him this way. "**You're the **_**mate, **_**aren't you?**"

We were just about face to face, our halberds crossed. The perfect position for my plan. As quickly as I could, I turned my halberd so my right arm went from my right to my left, our weapons together in the same position, and I reached my bottom fingers to grab his weapon while I reached with my top hand to grab the curl sticking out from his head. "**Anng!**" He gasped, staggering in shock and reaching up to meet my hand there.

I withdrew my hand and bent to hook the curve of my blade around his leg while he was distracted. I pulled and he fell back. I sprang back up and held my blade down against his neck. He was laying on his back, staring up at me in shock. His weapon had fallen just out of reach. "You talk way too much for a species that doesn't speak." I murmured with scorn; really, his baiting was annoying me. It kept staring at me for a while before his lips twitched into a smile and he let out a low chuckle.

"**Very impressive, catching me off-guard. You're smarter than you're given credit for.**" It said approvingly. "**Now… finish it.**" He let his head fall back to expose his neck. I didn't move. I kept the axe blade at his throat, but I didn't move it an inch. He looked at me again. "**I said finish it. Kill me.**" I flinched and pressed the axe blade against his neck more. I saw it nick his skin a bit and he winced but stayed very still. I didn't move it anymore. The blood, Lovi's blood, made me feel a little sick.

"**What are you waiting for? Don't you want to win?**" I could barely breath. It didn't matter if I beat the thing in battle. It would always have to end in death. But, if I kill him, the demon won't die; Lovi will. Just the sight of Lovi's blood made me want to recoil. I can't spill anymore. However, if I die, everyone dies and the demon wins. There is no clear version of this where I come out on top and go home in peace.

I sighed out the breath I held and pulled up my halberd, keeping it over his body but pulling it back from his neck. "I… can't…" My confession came out hushed. Silence followed; I looked at my axe blade. My reflection stared back. I looked tired, my eyes dead and lips turned down in a frown. There was a cut on my cheek that was still bleeding.

Suddenly, my reflection was gone and my hand felt empty. Before I could comprehend what happened, a heavy boot kicked me between the ribs and I went flying backward. I slid and rolled for a moment before finally stopping at someone's feet. "Tonio!" They were Feli's feet. He kneeled beside me and peeked at my face. Probably making sure I was still awake. I winced when I heard a loud laugh.

"**Just as I said! You're too weak! You had me at your grasp, but in the end, you let your emotions take over! Remember this, foolish mortals, as the reason for your demise!**" Steve cackled. I felt heavy; I couldn't even sit up, even when Feli tried. The hopelessness of my challenge hit me hard. I had confidence before, but what hope was there as long as the demon was in Lovi's body? I can't kill him, no matter how much I had tried.

"Tonio, please get up! You promised you would win!" I looked up at Feli, fresh tears filling his eyes. He sounded like Lovi when he said that. They really are alike, in many ways. In fact, Feli housed the demon as well. Realization hit me; it felt like a breath of fresh air in comparison to the hopelessness. Feli had the demon inside of him, but he's fine now. He didn't have to be killed and the demon didn't leave willingly. I sat up just a bit and gestured Feli closer.

"Feli, how did you get the demon to exit your body?" I rasped near his ear. Feli's cheeks turned pink and, even through his tears, he managed a bashful smile.

"Veh, Luddy did it. He said some nice words and then kissed me. He shooed the demon right out." I glanced up at Germany. He must've heard, because he was blushing too. I had to smile. So, some words and a kiss? The demon didn't feel emotion, though.

"How did that help?" I asked him.

"I don't know exactly, but America said once that it shocked me and somehow forced the demon out, so I guess that's it." Shock? That was the key? I had to shock the demon? No… I had to shock Lovi. I suppose that makes sense, since Lovi can feel emotion somewhere deep in there. His body reacted to my hits, at least. But how can I shock him? I can't exactly sneak up behind him and scare him. Plus, fear probably won't be enough. He was scared enough of the demon.

Another idea came to mind, but it was crazy. Getting that close would expose me to death. Besides, what if it doesn't work? I mean, Lovi and Feli WERE alike, but they were so different too. They could react very differently. So then, why did it feel like a brilliant plan deep in my gut? I swallowed but set my mind on the plan. It may be reckless, but it was worth a try.

I slowly rose up. Feli and Germany helped me stand. I heard a chuckle behind me. "**Oh good, you're still alive. I was afraid that I wouldn't get to kill you~.**" I turned to look at my target. Steve/Lovi was smirking at me, weapon back in his hand. My halberd was laying somewhere behind him. He must've kicked it out of my hand and then kicked me. Either Lovi is more flexible than I thought (which was nice to think about~) or that was going to hurt him in the morning. Anyway, focus, Tonio. I took a deep breath and started walking toward him. I am tired, I am weaponless, and I have a plan that is doomed to fail. Not bad for a death match with a demon named Steve.

"**Coming to meet your doom? You've always been one to face enemies with dignity.**" He tapped his head teasingly, reminding me again how he knows that. I pressed my lips in a hard line but kept going.

"I don't intend on dying today." I informed him. It raised an eyebrow and, for the first time, frowned a little.

"**Oh? You expect to live with no weapon?**"

"Si. In fact, I'm going to win, because you're not going to be in there for much longer." I sped up my walk. His eyes widened at my words and pace, looking panicked. Another first. He raised his halberd, but I expected that and reached out to grab it as well. Some form of adrenalin was pumping, because I yanked the weapon from his hand with ease and threw it aside. The next second, I came closer and grabbed him by the tops of his arms.

"**Wh—no, let go!**" Steve demanded, trying to move away. It was impossible for him to even move, given I had him trapped and in a slight dip. I took a deep breath. My heart was racing. So much to lose if this doesn't work, but I barely thought of that. That was in the back of my mind. I just thought solely on what I was about to do. Lovi, Roma, my old henchman, my best friend, I know you're still there, I know you can hear me.

"Roma… this is for you, always." I breathed out as I leaned in. Nice words, check.

"**N-!**" The word was cut off. The shocked black eyes remained open, but I closed mine. My grip strengthened. I applied a little more pressure. Kiss, check.

**X-X-X**

_**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! **_The scream echoed in my head, but I barely noticed. Hell, I could care less. The walls of the box that trapped me was breaking away. First, I felt myself gain slow control over my limbs. Then, my mind felt like it was clearing up. It was leaving. I was coming back.

Meanwhile, was it possible to cry on the inside, but not physically? I swear, it felt like I was doing just that. My heart was swelling, too. I hoped my rib cage won't crack. There are no words for how I feel right now. I've felt happy before, but this was different. This was something bigger, something more. Maybe there was a word, but I couldn't think, period.

I felt I was going to lose consciousness any minute. The last of the demon left and my body was starting to get limp. I had to move a little, show him I was okay. I forgot what I did—I think I leaned forward—but his eyes opened and met mine. I've never been so happy to see them so close. My own heavy eyes slid closed. The last thing I remembered thinking before I passed out was '_finally_'.

**X-X-X**

Even when I felt Lovi, the actual Lovi, respond; even when I opened my eyes and saw he was back to normal; even when we broke apart and his head lolled back in unconsciousness, I knew it wasn't over just yet. I held his limp body up and closer to mine as I bent down to scoop him up into my arms. My eyes never left the black shadow that inched away from us.

Once he was in my arms comfortably, head on my shoulder, the shadow took shape. I waited patiently, despite the urge to run out of there and just lay in the safe room for a few hours. The shape had a big head and small body, like the monsters in the back. It became solid and the eyes opened. Pitch black, evil, intelligent, and very angry. The rest of it stayed black, standing out from all of the grey.

Steve bared its teeth and let out a snarl. If it could speak, it would be cursing me out using every curse word it learned from Lovi. I glared at it evenly. "We will call this a draw. No one dies for now." I turned and started walking away. Again, I knew it wasn't over. By the time Feli cried out in warning and I heard the hurried creaks behind me, I had shifted Lovi so I held him with one arm and used my foot to toss the demon's discarded halberd into my hand. I turned and brought the axe sideways into its head, just a second before its claw touched me.

The halberd blade was embedded deep in the side of its head and its claw was drawn just inches from my stomach, or what would've been my back and possibly Lovi's side. It glared at me and I could see it starting to dissolve. As a last goodbye, I smirked at it and murmured "Hasta la vista.". It completely vanished, freeing the axe. The other monsters also disappeared. I straightened the weapon and carefully slipped it into the hoister on Lovi's back. I walked to grab my own, but I heard a small _clink _by my foot. I looked down and saw a key at my foot. I bent down carefully, pressing Lovi against me, and picked it up. It looked like every other key in the mansion in term of color, but it looked bigger.

I turned to face the others. They were standing there and looking at me in shock. I held up the key. Feli was the first to react. He let out a cry of laughter and started jumping and cheering. "Toni did it! He did it! That's the key! That's the front door key!" When the others processed what he said, they all cheered. I smiled in pride, looking at the key, then at Lovi sleeping peacefully against my shoulder. We finally won.

As soon as I had my own weapon, we were on our way to the safe room. Germany was calling the others with the good news, Feli bouncing beside him as best as he could without dropping Lovi's axe (he offered to carry it for me). England patted me on the back and Japan checked both Lovi and I for injuries. Lovi was still unconscious, but he finally looked at rest. He looked like his old self, before all of this happened. I was surprised what a difference there was. I hadn't noticed.

"Tonio, that was absolutely amazing!" Feli squealed. Lovi's axe was strapped to his back and he was clutching the front door key with his hand. "How did you know to do that?" I shrugged my free shoulder and grinned at him.

"I just remembered what you said and gave it a try."

"But how did you know THAT was what he wanted?" He tilted his head at me. My brow furrowed.

"Huh?"

"I mean, I always suspected, but I always assumed he kept it completely hidden from you."

"Kept what hidden?"

"His desires, of course!" Feli smiled at me like I was a confused puppy. I actually felt like one, too.

"What are you talking about? Whose desires?" Feli frowned at me, both of us pausing right outside the room door. The others continued on.

"You mean you didn't know? Veh, I thought America had told you…"

"Told me…?" He sighed a little.

"Cat's out of the bag, I guess. It was America's theory from a movie, I think, but the one way to break the possession was to tap into the possessed person's inner desire. That way, the person's mind and heart become strong enough or shocked enough to overcome the demon and chase it away."

"Italy! Come inside!" Germany was calling. Feli blushed and giggled.

"Coming, Luddy~!" He skipped inside, not waiting for me. Good, because I was too frozen to move even my face. Inner desire? That was the key? It wasn't just shocking the person, but tapping into what they truly wanted? The way Feli is acting, his inner desire ended up being Germany. Does that mean… that I was Lovi's desire?

I unfroze enough to look down at the man in my arms. The warmth I felt in my veins just mere hours ago in the safe room filled me up again. I was Romano's inner desire. It wasn't just any kiss that brought him back, it was my kiss. He cared about me too. He felt the same way I did! I couldn't breathe, I felt so happy. My heart was expanding. I pressed him closer so our hearts were together. Did his feel the same way? It felt like it was pounding along with mine.

I couldn't help it. I leaned in and kissed his forehead, then his cheek, then his nose. I want to kiss his lips—oh dios I do—but I have to save that for when he is awake. Then maybe, he could return it, like he did back in the Japanese room. I held him close for another while longer before my legs finally began to work and I walked into the room and past the expecting Germany, who was waiting to lock the door. My mind and heart racing, the biggest smile on my face, I walked up the stairs.

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**Translation:**

_Hasta la vista- _bye

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**In the words of a certain Italian, finally! 2 chapters ****(probably)**** left and then an epilogue!**

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	28. Bring Me My Desire

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**All Romano PoV.**

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I woke up in darkness again, the kind where I couldn't even see my own hand. I sat up slowly and my head throbbed and spun. There was a chill coming from some direction, making me shiver. Where was I? Is this another dream? How did I get knocked out? I tried to remember, racking my brain. The last thing I remember was the demon taking me over in the room with the closets. The rest was a huge blur.

If I was out, does that mean we won? Spain had to have defeated the demon. I couldn't feel the demon alive and kicking inside anymore. Am I dead, then? 'Steve' assured me that would be the only way that he would leave my body. I sighed softly; I wasn't even angry or betrayed. I served a purpose in the hellhole. I sacrificed myself and protected everyone. The demon lost and the others could go home now.

So is this some sort of limbo? I looked around, even though I couldn't see a damn thing. I expected a wasteland, an illusion, even a bright field with a river and rainbow. I slowly started to stand and had to regain my own balance when my knees buckled. My limbs felt weak, but after a while, I was able to stand straight. Maybe moving away from here will cause something to happen.

I started walking, stumbling for a moment before I got a steady pace. I couldn't hear my own footsteps, but I heard small rustling sounds. Probably my clothes; at least I was wearing some. It felt like I was walking endlessly, but it must've only been a few steps before I heard it. "_Roma._" I stopped cold in shock. Would there be other people in limbo?

I listened for more, but there was nothing, just an eerie silence. I slowly walked forward again. "_Roma, stop._" I stopped and turned around. Nothing but the dark.

"Who's there?" I demanded, my voice too hushed to be intimidating. For a moment, there was silence again. I wanted to walk in this direction and see what happened, but my brain would rather listen to the mysterious orders. Then, a new sound echoed. It sounded like heavy tapping in rhythm—footsteps. They got louder and louder. Someone was coming this way.

I reached back, but one pat on my back reminded me that I didn't have my weapon here. I cursed under my breath. Well, maybe it'll be okay anyway. You can't kill someone in limbo… right? I considered running, but it was too dark here; who knows what I'll run into instead? I listened to the footsteps get louder and louder. As they got closer, I heard small clinking sounds. I frowned to myself. There was something familiar about it. It was nagging at me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. My brain was still muddled, but on some instinct, I could tell that the clinking sounds were buckles.

Suddenly, they stopped. I held my breath, balling my hands into fists, and waited. I felt something land on my shoulder—a hand. I couldn't move. "Just wait here, Roma." Someone whispered in the same ear. "I'll handle this." I shuddered my breath out. The hand disappeared. The footsteps now echoed behind me. I managed to get a fucking grip long enough to turn. That nagging feeling got stronger. That voice… it also sounded too familiar. It gave my insides a very warm feeling.

All at once, I heard more sounds. Blows landing, growls, a whoosh of air, something falling. I blinked and they were gone. Now, not moving was completely my choice. I didn't dare walk forward. Footsteps again, getting louder and stopping suddenly. "I-I was going the wrong way?" I asked after another long silence.

"Yes." The answer came in a murmur. _Male_, my brain told me. It was a guy.

"Show me the right way, then?" My demand came out sounding like a question. The man didn't answer, but I felt a hand slide into mine and grip it. It was warm and much bigger than mine. Footsteps, but this time, the hand prompted me to follow. I actually heard my own footsteps too.

We walked for a long while, longer than I had. I stumbled a few times because my legs still felt weak, but the hand never lost its grip and I never lost my grip on it. Neither of us spoke, but this silence wasn't tense or awkward. As he led me to wherever, I tried to think. The clinking footsteps, the voice, his hand. I knew who this was already, without even seeing who he is. I just couldn't place a name. All I can feel at this moment about them is a sense of security. Whoever this is, I trust him.

But, who did I know that I trusted? Veneziano, definitely, but this wasn't Veneziano. There was also… and… dammit! Why couldn't I remember? I rubbed my head with my free hand. What was happening to me? As I tried to make sense of what I remember, something caught my eye. I looked at it. Off to the side in the distance was something bright. A light, perhaps? Just looking at it tempted me to let go of the man's hand. It was warm and very inviting.

I felt a squeeze at my hand, bringing me back to reality (or whatever this was). Even when I looked away from the light, my brain considered letting go and going toward it. Something inside me told me, though, that I should stay and follow. It was the same something that told me I trusted the man I'm following. I looked back at the light we passed. It faded away the further we walked. No turning back now.

I don't know how much time had passed, but I was starting to get tired from walking. I wanted to complain, but my voice wouldn't work. Besides, something told me he wouldn't answer if I DID complain. Abruptly, whoever it was came to a stop. I almost ran into them. "H-hey! Why are you stopping?" No answer. The warmth around my hand disappeared.

"Just keep going and I'll see you there." The man murmured again in my ear. I shuddered. I couldn't see anything, but I could tell the man was gone. I took a deep breath and kept walking. Well, I got this far; might as well see how far this goes. I only made a few more steps before I was suddenly blinded.

**X-X-X**

When I woke up again, I was completely confused. The good news, I could finally see, meaning I was probably out of limbo or whatever that was. The bad news, I woke up in a field that I didn't recognize, grass prickling my cheek and arm. I used my arms to push myself up from my sleeping position and sat up. All around me were flowers planted in plots, some tall trees, and lots of grass.

Was I finally in heaven? Huh, I was so sure I'd be in hell instead. I felt myself smirk and straightened my skirt. Well, this was still a pretty nice—SKIRT?! I looked down in horror. My legs were covered completely by a near floor-length dress, pink with a white full-body apron. I grabbed at it, making sure it's real. The ruffles underneath made rustling sounds suspiciously similar to what I heard while walking in limbo. I made a face and looked around. This was hell in disguise; God has gotten clever.

I tried to stand, but my legs were even more unstable than before. In fact, I felt heavy in general. Was it the light that brought me here? I ended up just shifting onto my knees, skirt tucked under my legs. I huffed. The hell was going on? None of this dying shit makes sense to me. It was simpler just to think that I would be in a fiery inferno or living it up on a cloud. Moving from a dark limbo to an unknown field in a dress didn't sound like any version of dying I have ever heard.

Aside from that, I could actually recall some memories now, about the mansion and time loops. Anything before that was a huge blur, but that was because of my connection to my brother—altering time had its consequences, as Veneziano put it once. Anything after 'Steve' took me over for the fight was also a blur, probably a fault of the demon's. Spain better have taken good care of that asshole.

Thinking of Spain brought back that nagging feeling. I was definitely forgetting something important about him, but it must've been something after I was possessed, before the time loops, or some combination thereof. I looked off into space as I thought of this, my fingers toying with my apron. When I finally focused, I sat up completely. There was a figure coming toward me.

I sighed in relief. Maybe it was the man from limbo. Hopefully, he'll tell me what the hell is going on here. I tried to stand, but I got tangled in my dress and fell back on my butt. I glared down at the dress. Stupid thing, why was I wearing you anyway? I guess I would have to wait. I looked up at the man and my heart just about stopped.

Red coat lined with gold, black hat with a white feather, white shirt and black pants underneath, those annoying boots with the buckles that always make sounds. It was Spain. But, he looked different. Younger, his hair was long again, and little things like bags and age lines were gone. I gritted my teeth. Was he the one from limbo all along? It explains why his voice was so familiar.

He was making a bee line for me, a huge smile on his face as usual. I could hear the clinking of his buckles the closer he came. He came to a stop right in front of me. "Hola, Roma!" He greeted me. I just stared at him. "What are you doing on the ground? Here" He held his hand out for me. I looked at it for a moment before sliding my hand into it. It was warm and bigger than mine. He gripped my hand hard and helped me to my feet. I stumbled and he put his other hand on my shoulder to support me. "Careful! Did you fall asleep in the field again?"

I frowned in confusion. Again? But I've never slept outside… or have I? I looked down at my dress again and understanding washed over me. This was a memory, most likely from my childhood when I was still under Spain's rule and he was gone a lot from sea voyages and war. Maybe this was a part of judgment? So, I would have to play along and get this over with. I looked back at the amused Spaniard.

"None of your business, jerk." I shoved his arms away and crossed my arms across my chest, pouting. "So you're back?"

"Si, I have returned." He grinned at me.

"So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home, resting?"

"Do you not want me here?" He looked at me sadly. My breath got stuck in my throat.

"No, th-that's not what I meant." I murmured, feeling my face heat up.

"I felt like I rested enough and was wondering where you were, that's all. I wanted to see you as soon as possible." He smiled again, his eyes soft. His hand still on my shoulder reached up and cupped my cheek. The touch surprised me and I took a step back. My leg gave out and I almost fell back, but Spain reached out and grabbed me by the tops of my arms to pull me back up to my feet.

Just that touch brought everything back. I remembered the fight between Spain and I, him bringing me down, the demon bringing him down, Spain coming up toward me, then… then… . My hand flew up to my mouth, my fingers pressed to my lips just as softly as the pressure on them mere hours ago. "Are you okay, Lovi?" Spain above me murmured. Was his face always this close?

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." I answered softly. He nodded, but didn't release me from the slight dip. I was about to ask him why he hadn't let go when something occurred to me. "You called me Lovi."

"Si. That's your name." He answered simply. But, my human name didn't exist in my childhood. Did that mean…?

"This isn't a memory?" My voice came out hushed. He chuckled, but didn't look confused in the least, like Spain from a memory would.

"Yes and no. You only remember the general parts of your past before the mansion." He finally let go of my arms, letting me stand. I barely paid attention.

"So, it's a dream. I'm not dead" I didn't bother rubbing the tears blurring my sight. "I'm s-still alive a-and he's alive." Small laughs bubbled in my throat, still crying from the sheer joy I felt from this news. The demon was gone and we were still alive. We can finally escape together. The dream Spain didn't say anything, just wiped my tears gently away. "H-how is that possible?"

"I think it was because of America's theory, about inner desires." Spain pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"But how did he know?" I blushed harder at the thought. "I never told him, and America didn't mention the theory."

"I guess that's something you'll have to ask when you wake up." He smiled kindly. "You have a lot to discuss with him."

"Damn right we do." I scoffed, looking him up and down absentmindedly. "But first, if this is a dream, why would I make us wear these?" I gestured to my dress in disgust.

"Dreams are mixed with memories to show you what you desire. It's the one place where the rest of your life isn't clouding what is in your heart" He reached forward and took my hands. I looked at them as they swallowed my hands in pleasant warmth. Should a dream be so vivid?

"So I desire myself in a dress?" My eyebrow rose skeptically.

"No." Spain mused. His head came forward to rest his forehead against mine. I looked into his eyes and couldn't look away. "I think the point of this memory is that, whatever you desire, you've wanted it for longer than you thought."

"I-I thought this was only a dream?" My heart pounded by how close he was now, a mere breath away. His hand still holding mine felt very warm, while his hand on my cheek left my skin tingling. His eyes were very soft as they stared into mine. "Why does this feel so real?" He chuckled deep in his throat.

"Dreams can feel more real if they have a good chance of becoming real." He murmured. My eyes closed by themselves as he leaned in.

**X-X-X**

This is the third time I've woken up and I'm not even sure if I'm actually awake yet or in another dream. This time, I woke up in bed, my face half buried in a slightly drooled-on pillow. I was covered in a blanket that my feet got tangled in somewhere in my sleep. No wonder I couldn't move in my last dream.

I slowly sat up, waiting for my head to stop spinning before untangling my legs and swinging them over the side of the bed. I looked around. I was back in the safe room, in a bed far down the row of beds. I could hear soft sounds from the main room and a few nations shuffling around. They were probably packing to leave.

I stood and right away hissed through my teeth at the pain in my hips. I rubbed my sides and tried to remember what I did to cause this. I remembered the fight and scowled. I'm going to murder that fucking demon. I stood straight and looked myself over. I had bandages covering my arms, but very few. I had one on my side as well, from the first blow I got from Spain's halberd. He better have had his wounds treated, too, but it makes me wonder why I wasn't healed instead.

I walked slowly toward the main room, rubbing the exhaustion from my eyes. The first thing I saw was my brother and Germany sitting at a table with Prussia. I walked toward them. Prussia was the first to see me. "Yo, you're awake!"

"_Fratello!_" Veneziano hopped up and ran to hug me. "Veh, I'm so happy you're awake! You've been out cold for a while and muttering in your sleep—oh but I didn't hear anything—and I was worried about your injuries so much! I'm sorry they aren't healed; I tried but I just couldn't! Francis couldn't either. England thinks it's because our healing magic can only work on monster wounds and you and Toni technically attacked each other, so—"

"Veneziano, calm down!" I put my hands on his shoulders. He stopped babbling hysterically. "I'm alright, don't worry. Other than my side, nothing hurts."

"Yeah, Feli told us about your little disarming trick." Prussia snickered. "Who knew you were so flexible, huh?" I narrowed my eyes at him and slid my sleeve up warningly. Veneziano grabbed my arm to get my attention.

"That's a huge relief, big bro! I'm very happy." Veneziano smiled.

"Who's hungry?!" France suddenly popped out, dressed in an apron and chef hat. He was holding two platters of dishes I couldn't recognize. I saw potatoes, fries, different types of meat, and some salad-like shit.

"Me me me!" Veneziano began bouncing, letting go of me to follow France as he set the food down. Seconds later, China and Japan came out with more platters. England, America, Canada, and Russia were right behind with plates and utensils.

"We've exhausted all of our food supply for this celebratory dinner." Japan huffed tiredly as he sat between England and America.

"Someone should get Toni so he doesn't miss this!"

"Where is he?" I frowned, glancing around. The light in the bathroom was off and the kitchen and beds were empty.

"He left the safe room and said he was going upstairs. Something about finding a book before we left." China shrugged.

"U-um, I could bring him his food." I offered carefully. I saw France and Prussia exchange a glance and a few of the others glance up at me curiously. Japan nodded in response.

"Of course. I'll prepare a bento for you and Spain." He got up and went to the kitchen.

"But, instead of bringing the food, wouldn't it make more sense to bring him back to eat with everyone?" Germany frowned in confusion. Veneziano let out a little giggle and petted Germany on the head.

"Aw, Luddy. You're so cute when you're confused~. Just eat your food, silly Deutschland." Germany frowned at him, a faint blush in his cheeks. Vene just smiled reassuringly and Germany went back to eating. My brother looked at me and winked.

"Here are your bentos." Japan handed me a wooden box he was putting food into, placing the cover on before I took it. He started filling another one up and handed that one to me too. "Eat and then meet back here so we can all leave, or meet us by the front door if we're not here. The door will be locked behind us if we're not in here."

"Sure. _Grazi_." I thanked him quietly. He handed me a sack as well and I put the boxes into it. The nations waved to me before going back to eating. I headed down the stairs and went straight for the stairs to the third floor. Looking for a book before we left? I knew exactly the book he meant and where he went to look. I took my time up the stairs, still sore. Just a day ago, I was racing up these stairs, angry at my brother for withholding information. I made it to the top and glanced at the piano room door, in front of which I collapsed right into Spain's arms.

I took a deep breath and walked to the library room door. I walked in and closed it behind me, loudly to see if I could draw him out. "Oy, Spain! It's me!" I called, walking toward the corridor and idly wondering about the coldness of the room. My unspoken question was answered right away when my eyes met a pair of black ones. I froze, but I knew it already spotted me. It was one of the ones with the big head and little body. It bared its teeth at me and turned away from the row of shelves it was facing.

"H-hey! We had a deal with your boss, bastard. You can't hurt me!" I yelled at it. It made small hissing sounds—laughing, it sounded like—and started stalking toward me. Its claws were drawn. "We had a deal! G-get away!" I reached behind me, but felt nothing on my back. I double and triple checked frantically. I must've left my weapon in the safe room! I slowly backed away, knowing running would provoke it to run as well. When I reached the door, though, the knob wouldn't turn. I pulled and pushed; the door wouldn't budge.

"N-no. It can't end like this. Not when we're so close." I heard myself whimper. My hand tightened on the bag. My heart dropped into my stomach in despair. Would the last time I see him really be when we had just fought? I'd never have a chance to talk to him, to explain my actions? I backed into the wall and the monster came closer. "A-Antonio, you bastard, come save me. C-come watch for all I care. At least let me see you once again." My voice cracked. "D-don't leave m-me." The monster raised his claw to strike. I closed my eyes and braced myself.

_Whoosh_. The sound of something bring swung through the air, coupled with a squelching sound. The claw didn't come down. I opened my eyes slowly. The monster was frozen in place and fading away, sliced sideways from the top of where its ear would be all the way through the corner of its jaw. Any normal human's head would've come apart. The monster faded away and, behind it, a figure holding a huge axe in a swung-down position. He lifted his head to look at me.

"Aw Lovi, you wound me~. Like I would ever let that happen." The tone of his voice, that little smirk. I couldn't help the laugh that burst out of me before I ran at him and threw my arms around him. I think I started crying into his shoulder when Spain hugged me back.

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**Translation:**

_fratello: _brother**  
**

_bento: _a Japanese lunchbox that has many different compartments for separating food

_grazi: _thanks

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**Cute ending ^^* Next chapter will most likely be the last. I will be putting up a poll, though, for if I should write and upload the epilogue after this. Please be sure to check and vote.**

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	29. Finally Free

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**The last chapter is finally here (unless you guys really want that epilogue). It's been so much fun writing this whole fic, I hate to leave it. However, all good things have an end and I, for one, am just exhausted. But no worries, I'll probably churn out more writing in the future~. Just keep an eye out.**

**Thank you all who have been such loyal readers to this fic. I am really grateful for all of you. **

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The room settled into a comfortable silence after I finally calmed the fuck down from my hysterical weeping. The reality of the moment sunk in and I felt my face heat up. Did I seriously just jump at Spain and start _crying_? I really need to get out of this house—I'm turning into some sort of bitch. Gathering what is left of my dignity, I pressed my hand to his chest and pushed gently.

Obediently, he leaned away and clasped his hands behind his back, just smiling gently. "Bastard, what are you grinning at? And where were you all this time?"

"I had to freeze to let the monster pass, but then you came in and lured it away so I could kill it from behind~." He shrugged, grinning from ear to ear. I tried to scowl, but it felt it twisted into more of a pout. I balled my hand up into a fist and hit him on the chest lightly.

"Jerk." I grumbled. I wanted to yell at him for using me as bait, but the words wouldn't form on my tongue.

"Wacha got there?" Spain asked, ignoring my weak punch and looking down at my hand.

"Huh? Oh." I just realized I was still carrying the sack. "Japan and the others cooked all the food left and your perverted friends didn't want you to miss out. I offered to bring it to you." I rubbed the back of my head with my free hand.

"Aw! That's really nice of you, Lovi." Spain happily squealed.

"Y-yeah." I handed him the bag. There was a clatter and I winced, half hoping it didn't all get messy inside the boxes. He carefully took it and peeked inside, then looked up at me.

"There's two boxes in here."

"Yeah, Japan… packed mine too, so I could eat with you… or some shit." I looked away, deciding on a whim that the floor was more interesting.

"Really? That was kind of him."

"Mm."

"Do you WANT to eat with me?" He asked.

"I wouldn't mind it… bastard." I mumbled. I heard him chuckle and then felt his warm hand at my chin. He tilted my head back up and my voice got stuck in my throat when I saw how close he actually was.

"Then let's go sit. We can eat while I continue my search." He held out his hand for mine. I don't think I said anything. I might've nodded. I do know for a fact, however, that I took his hand.

**X-X-X**

I actually got a small heart attack when I didn't see the portal on the ground. Spain confirmed my suspicions about the book he was looking for by taking me to the row of bookshelves we practically camped out in the second time loop. I had a moment of panic before I remembered that the portal wouldn't be there, since we're not in the past.

It felt like a whole lifetime ago that we came here to fight some weak monsters and ended up hiding out here and waiting for help. It was like years had passed instead of days. "Time has never meant that much to a nation unless life depended on it." Spain mused from his seat against the bookshelf. I looked at him in shock before making a face.

"Bastard, stop reading my mind!" I snapped at him. He just smiled in amusement and patted the seat on the floor beside him. I walked over and lowered myself to the floor. The minute my ass made contact with the cold floorboards, he handed me one of the boxes. We ate in silence for a while. The pasta tasted perfect, meaning it was made by my brother. The steamed vegetables weren't half bad, either. I shoved the potatoes aside because fuck eating that shit. This meal would suffice until I get home and cook my own.

"Lovi" Oh fuck, already? I wasn't even finished eating, dammit! "How long have you known, about the incident from earlier?" I stared down at my leftovers. He wanted to know about that first?

"Since I was possessed, I guess. The demon was already scheming when you made the challenge, then it came to my dream last night through some magic and demanded I go. I refused at first—I never wanted to fight you or get possessed again—but…" I swallowed, my grip on the box tightening. "It threatened to use Veneziano instead. If that happened, I'd have to lose my brother to win, whether Potato could help or not."

"Ah. I'm sorry, Lovi… so sorry." Spain apologized, shaking his head slightly. Hesitantly, I put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Don't beat yourself up, ba—Spain. At least you won in the end."

"Actually, that's what I was asking you about; me forcing Steve out, not how he got in."

"Oh." He wanted to talk about… oh. Well, don't I look like a fucking idiot now. I pulled my hand back and looked at my knees. An awkward silence followed. "How long have you known? When did you figure it out?" I finally asked him. I was pretty damn sure America didn't mention his theory during that meeting, and I never told him about it. Hell, I didn't even know about my own… desire until it came true.

"I didn't." His answer surprised me. My surprise must've shown because he smiled wryly. "I didn't find out the finer details until after I killed Steve."

"Then why—"

"Feli told me how Germany brought him out of it and how the demon was apparently 'shocked' out. I thought it was work on you as well."

"…S-so you only kissed me because you thought it was _surprise me_?!" I exploded, outraged.

"Huh?"

"Or did you think I would get _angry_? Get me so pissed that I kick the demon out on its ass? Why not kick me in the balls instead, that would've worked _fantastically_!" I ranted as I started to get up. I kept my face from being seen, in case I looked as hurt as I felt. If he only asked me here to tell me he wasn't interested, the message was received loud and clear. Mission complete; time to leave.

"No! Lovi—!" I ignored him, getting to my feet and turning toward the exit, but his arms abruptly wrapped around my waist and _yanked _me back before I could take a step. I shrieked (in a manly way, I swear) as I lost balance and fell back into the bastard's lap.

"Let me go, you jerk! I don't need any sleeping beauty crap from you; you've made yourself pretty clear that waking me was your only priority!" I struggled and squirmed, but his grip around me held tight. Dammit, why did he have to be so much stronger?

"Lovi, don't ever think like that, please! It's true, I wanted to get the demon out of you and I thought that would be the best way, since it worked on your brother."

"Bastard!" I kept trying to free myself, shoving at his arms and chest. "Deceiving bastard!"

"But I would've done it anyway, even if you were you—_especially_ if you were you. I didn't know about America's inner desire theory until Feli told me, but when I did find out and thought about what it meant… Lovi, you have no idea how happy it made me." He squeezed gently and I felt his head rest against mine. I stopped fighting.

"Happy? Really?" my voice came out soft.

"Mmhm, just knowing that you care about me like I care about you." He chuckled in a slightly embarrassed way. "I was going to ask you after the battle, about how you felt."

"After? But what if you got killed?" I looked up at him, confused.

"Ah, I tried not to think about that too much." He shrugged. "Simply enough, I had to win, so I could tell you that I love you. That was my main goal and my only thought." He beamed. I just stared at him. This man—his death could've doomed us all along with him; he saw it was me he had to fight and would've had to kill me to win, but kept us both alive anyway. Yet, his motivation—his only thought—to win was to tell me that he loved me.

I have no clue if it was just the euphoric feeling rising in my chest, the sheer ridiculousness of what he told me, or both; I just started laughing really hard, doubling over slightly and pressing my face into the confused Spaniard's shoulder. "Y-you are s-s-so fucking st-upid! Yo-you're the b-biggest id-idiot I've e-ever known!" I cried out through my slightly-muffled peals of laughter.

"Heyyyy, that's not true! I could've done much stupider things in my life, but I _didn't_." Spain protested, but I could hear the teasing undertone. I couldn't even answer, I was laughing so much. It took a while, but I finally managed to calm down and turn beet-red when, once again, I found myself pressed to the tomato idiot while trying to catch my breath from crying/pissing myself. When I was crying about my brother, it was fine, but now I had to have been crossing some metaphorical line into "Huge Wuss" territory.

"You never answered my question, you know." Spain murmured when he felt me relax more. "How long have you known?" I took a deep breath and leaned away from him to answer. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Tsk, I don't even remember the true desire shit until it happened. But, I guess some part of me must've always known."

"I realized it either last night or this morning." Spain recalled.

"Psh, well, nothing says 'I love this bastard' like holding his underwear." I snorted. Spain's face actually turned red at that, but he laughed as well. I tapped his cheek with a finger. "I spy something red." His face softened and he lifted his hand to press a finger to my cheek.

"So do I." He hummed. For a long while, we just looked at each other, eyes locked. I found myself feeling safe and warm, just knowing that those green eyes have looked out for me all my life, and even when we get out, they'll still be there. This time around, I'll be doing the same thing.

Somewhere in the middle of our staring, there must've been a signal that passed between us that allowed Spain to start leaning forward. My breath hitched slightly and my heart started racing. My eyes closed by themselves just like my dream. I felt his breath get nearer. But, something was wrong about this.

I wanted another kiss, though I'd never admit it out loud. I could tell he wanted one by the way our bodies are held together by his arm (and maybe mine). I half wished he didn't stick me in this sideways position. No, it wasn't any of that. I put my hand to his chest and pushed slightly, biting my lip when I felt him pause only inches away. "Lovi? Is something wrong?"

"W-…we… can't." I murmured regretfully.

"Why? Do you not—? Ah, I'm sorry, I thought—" I felt him lean away. My eyes snapped open.

"No, I…" My words came out hurriedly. "I want to, but… not here." I frowned down at my hand, overlapping his arm that is still wrapped around my waist.

"Hm? I don't understand, Lovi." I huffed in annoyance.

"Do I have to fucking spell it out for you? Not. Here. Not in this place." I paused when I heard my voice come out harshly. I took a deep breath to collect myself. "It doesn't feel right. There are monsters lurking around, there are other people here that can show up at any minute, death and shit have occurred. I just… want to go home." I heard my voice crack momentarily. The idea of home still feels impossible now. There's nothing I want more than to go back home and just crash in my bed, but I've been trapped for so long, the mere idea of leaving isn't optional.

"Okay, Lovi. Okay." His arm constricted and pulled me against him. I let my head rest against his shoulder. "Shh, it's fine. I can wait as long as you want, mi querido."

"Considering our duties and our bosses are waiting for us to get back, it could take years for anything to happen, you know."

"I know." He said simply, then I felt something press to the top of my head. The spot felt warm all of a sudden. Actually, I felt warm everywhere, even though the place was so cold that going outside would practically thaw everyone out. I glanced down at the wooden food boxes. Speaking of the outside. "C'mon, Toni. We can't stay here forever. The others are probably done eating and waiting for our slow asses to get back."

"Oh yeah! Almost forgot about that." He smiled goofily. I rolled my eyes and used a bookshelf to pull myself up to my feet. When I was steady, I bent down to grab the boxes. "Hey, Lovi?"

"You know, you'd better drop that stupid nickname for when we're out. People won't understand what it means."

"Aww, but you just called me Toni."

"Th-that was an accident! N-now didn't you have a question?"

"Oh, right." He stood as well and played with his fingers, as if trying to figure out how to say something. "When you say you want to go home, do you mean your home or mine?" I blinked. Was he implying—

"Uhm… it doesn't matter to me, I guess." I shrugged nonchalantly. It really didn't matter as much. Home was home, as long as it had a bed and food. I guess I wouldn't mind it if this ditzy Spaniard that I might like was a part of that.

"Good." Spain smiled. Good? What did that mean? "Let's join the others now."

"Ye-yeah." I nodded. He started to walk past me so I could follow him, but suddenly stopped, turned to face me again, and pulled me to him to land a surprise kiss on my mouth. It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but even when he pulled back, my brain seemed to shut itself off.

"Sorry, _Roma_. That was for when something happens." He winked and turned around again to walk out of the aisle. Almost robotically, I followed, trying to make sense of what just happened. At the same time, I didn't really care, either. Not even my default attitude could break through the happy feeling going through me now.

"Whoops, I forgot my book! Lovi, come help me look for it!"

"Oh for fuck sake!"

**X-X-X**

We wasted at least another half an hour, but we managed to find Spain's book. He told me it was about a girl during the Spanish Civil War or some shit. Why he would want to read about something that made him sick almost to the brink of dying, I'll never figure out. In the meantime, I even found an Italian book. According to the back cover, it takes place during the Roman Empire.

We left the library and went downstairs, Spain humming some tune and me just swinging around the bag I carried. Neither of us had anything to say, but that was okay with me. We rounded the corner and right away spotted my brother and the macho potato. Their hands were linked and Veneziano was giggling about something. Damn, I don't even feel like glaring at them.

"Veh, _fratello_!" Veneziano noticed us arriving and waved with his free hand. Germany jumped a little in surprise and yanked his hand from Veneziano's. My brother's face dropped quickly.

"Ciao, _fratellino_." I greeted.

"Hey guys! Sorry if we kept you waiting!" Spain waved back, lit up like Christmas day.

"Not at all! We're actually waiting for Kiku to come back."

"Where'd Japan go?"

"He went to find something on the fourth floor after we finished eating. Everyone else is downstairs waiting for us with the key." Veneziano held up the front door. He probably hadn't let go of that thing since Spain let him have it.

"Here comes Japan now." Germany pointed behind us. I turned to see said black-haired nation, carrying in both arms a white blob I recognized as the creäture that had been stuck in the moon puzzle key hole.

"Hello, everyone. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, I just wanted to retrieve the mochi." He explained. Veneziano came over to pet it. It made a weird little sound.

"Aww, it's so cute~!"

"It is!" Spain pet it as well.

"Have you found what you were looking for, Spain?"

"Yes, I have." Spain peeked at me from the corner of his eyes with a hidden smile. I cleared my throat loudly, trying to avoid his implications, and held out the sack I was carrying to Japan.

"H-here. We brought back the boxes you gave us."

"The bentos? Arigato." Japan freed a hand to grab the sack and slid it down his arm to let it hang at the bend of his elbow so he could carry the mochi thing with both arms again. "Now that we're all together, we should rejoin the others and—"

"EEE!" Veneziano's shrill scream made us all jump and look at him. He cowered behind Germany while staring wide-eyed at something down the hall. We turned to see one of the monsters standing there, one of those muscular fuckers, just staring at us creepily. As expected, when we all moved, it saw us more clearly and bared its teeth.

"It won't hurt us, don't worry. The deal prevents them from bothering us." Germany reassured my brother, but he still held his ground nervously.

"I wouldn't bet on it." Spain murmured. His hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me a little closer to him. "One almost attacked me earlier, and nearly took of Lovi's head before I killed it."

"That doesn't sound right. Part of the deal is that we leave in peace." Japan frowned. The mochi in his arms was cowering as well.

"Maybe Steve understood that as 'pieces'." He murmured darkly. I shuddered at the mental image. We stood still for a moment, but the monster couldn't have taken more than two steps, just standing and staring at us.

"Maybe it won't attack." Veneziano whimpered hopefully. I nodded slowly.

"Then let's get downstairs and open the door." I suggested. Everyone agreed and we slowly began walked toward the stairs. The monster came at us so quickly, there was barely time to react. Luckily, Japan already had a hand on his sword. He slashed at it quickly using one of his notes and sent it backwards.

"Italy! Take the key and go!" Germany ordered as he pulled his weapon out. Spain drew his axe as well, but when I reached for mine, I remembered it wasn't on me.

"Japan, did you grab my weapon from the safe room?" I asked.

"No, America said he'd hold it for you." God dammit!

"Forget it, Germany. I'm not leaving you guys behind!" Veneziano protested, his notebook out just as the monster was preparing for an attack.

"**yOu … WoN't … EsC… aPe**" I gasped as a painful charge rushed through my body. Spain and Germany made similar sounds, but it looked like Veneziano and Japan didn't get the hit. It started coming at us while we were distracted, but Germany managed to raise his whip and snap at the monster to push it back again.

"Split up! You two handle the left, Lovi, Feli and I will take it from the right." Spain commanded. It's been ages since I heard him talking like that. Germany and Japan nodded and dashed toward the left.

"Spain, I don't have a weapon!" I protested. "I'll just stay back."

"No, I have an idea. Get between me and the halberd and grab hold."

"What the hell are you trying to do?"

"Just do it!" He stretched his arms out to make a huge space. I was skeptical, but quickly ducked under the axe and in between so my back pressed to his chest and grabbed the handle next to his hands. Germany and Japan had already made their hits. "Lovi, concentrate like when you used magic with your gun. Hurry." Spain murmured. I did so and I could feel his muscles tense with mine. His halberd glowed red at first, then a bit of gold blended in with it.

From there, it was like when he was teaching me to use this. When he ran at the thing, I followed. When he raised his weapon, I lifted my own arms. When he brought it down, my force helped it along. The blade sliced across its huge chest. There was an explosion of gold and red that blew the monster back and made it hit the wall with a huge, loud _thud_, dazing it completely.

"Nice work! Is that a joint skill?" Japan looked at us with interest. I frowned in confusion.

"Y-yeah, I heard England t-talking about it." Spain panted out. I just realized how much more tired he seemed than I was. I let go of the weapon and glanced at him over my shoulder. The glowing faded.

"Spain? You okay?" He didn't answer for a moment, but he nodded and slowly straightened us up.

"Let's get downstairs quickly while it's dazed."

"Yes!" Running, the 5 of us went down the stairs. The others were already there by the front door.

"Move move!" Veneziano commanded. Startled, the nations moved aside for him to get to the lock. He yanked out the key and fumbled with the doorknob.

"What's the rush?" Canada wondered. As if to answer, there came a roar from upstairs.

"What did you bloody wankers do?!"

"Why do you assume it's our fault?!"

"IT attacked US."

"But the deal—" Heavy stomps on the stairs interrupted Russia mid-sentence as the monster started descending.

"Hurry!" I rushed Veneziano. He turned the key and the door flew open.

"I got it!" Sunlight hit us. We didn't have time to admire it. We just ran as fast as we could out of it and into the lawn. We heard the monster roaring and stomping behind us. One of the last ones out, I jumped down the one step in front of the door, but a small 'oof' and thud made me turn.

"Spain!" I turned and quickly grabbed the fallen man's arm to yank him up to his feet. One glance at his face told me he was more tired than he let on from that skill. Over his shoulder, I saw the monster approaching. I grabbed his other hand, turned, and ran while holding him tight. He stumbled behind me, but my grip didn't let him fall nor did it let me fall.

Up ahead, I could see the nations from the outside waiting by the gate and keeping it open. We burst past them and they closed the gate close behind me and Spain. Everyone who was running stopped to catch their breath. I helped Spain steady himself and looked toward the gate. The monster stood a few feet away, glaring at us. We watched it, waiting to see what it would do. With a snort, it turned and walked back to the house. We watched as it stepped through the door and the door closed on its own.

It was silent enough that we heard the door close from a distance. Everything was still—no one moved or spoke; barely a breath was even heard. Then, "YES!" There was an uproar of celebratory cheers. It was almost deafening. I could see everyone embracing around me. Veneziano started sobbing and threw his arms around the surprised German, whose brother joined in the hug. France and England were squashing America and Canada between them. Russia was dancing around with China. Even the reinforcement team joined in the hugs, whether with each other or the G8 members.

I suddenly felt my feet lift off the ground and someone swinging me around. I yelped, but also heard myself either laughing or crying while I held my attacker for dear life. My eyes met a pair of green ones, shiny with tears. My own vision blurred and I hugged him tight, my face against his neck. I'll feel embarrassed and deny doing this later—or perhaps not ever, if no one asked. If they know what's good for them, they won't.

Because you know what? I deserve this. I deserve this one moment of total and pure happiness. When it comes down to it, I've been through way more than anyone in this whole ordeal. I'm right up there with my brother. I knew what was going on, I rushed into danger willingly, I fought against monster and man, and I even managed to discover feelings I have held back for God knows how long. So I deserve to hug freely out of happiness; I deserve to go home and have a good meal; I deserve to sleep in an actual bed. And I will do it all with the warm and loving man in my arms right this second.

Do you know why? Because, for the first time in days, maybe even years, I'm finally free.

* * *

**Translations:**

_mi querido_- my darling, my dear, etc

_fratello/fratellino_- brother

* * *

**The move Spain and Romano used in the end was my own twist. It's like Japan's and England's BroFist, so their minds even linked for a moment, but they were so in sync already, they didn't notice. They just naturally moved together through mutual agreement. It combined their skills, Espada and Rovina, into one for a flashy yet explosive result. I call the move _Double Edged_(Also acceptable: _Boss and Henchman_).**

**I guess that's all for this fic. Again, thank you so much for reading. I hope to see you all soon.**

**Rate and Review~**


	30. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni.**

**By popular demand, I present the epilogue. It is written in 3rd person limited, meaning its from the point of view of an invisible person that doesn't know what is going on inside the minds of the nations themselves. Again, thank you for reading this story all the way to the end and I hope to see you all again soon!**

* * *

_**2 months later…**_

It was very early in the morning. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Japan could see it from the window above his head, even as he scribbled the last of what he was writing on one of the many papers in front of him. "Finally, it is all finished." He sighed in relief and organized the papers on his desk before finally getting up and stretching, his vertebrae crackling.

No one has had it easy since the escape. While the nations were stuck in the mansion for 4 days, time was righting itself from all of the loops. When they got home, they found that 2 weeks had passed. Paperwork was piled up, nations fell into slight setbacks (some into major ones), bosses threw fits at the poor nations for disappearing so abruptly. Not to mention how sick most of them got when the weight of their nations came down on them so abruptly. Others had to set time aside to take care of the sick.

However, for the first time in 2 months, they all were caught up, healthy, and had a free day. Japan was the last of them. When they heard from their bosses to take a day off, there was only one way they all could agree to spend it. Japan smiled as he walked out of the room, remembering the preparations and planning, phone calls and abrupt visits from Italy or Russia (poor China, his door never had a chance), and all the chaos in between before they could finally get to where they are now.

Japan walked down the hall from his study to the last door there. He opened the door to a partially darkened room and could just barely see the shapes of 4 queen-sized beds, all full. No one seemed to respond to the sudden open door, so he backed out of the room and headed downstairs. He almost ran into a tall blonde man on the way, though.

"Oh, hey Japan! Finally done?" America grinned. Japan put a finger to his lips to signal silence and half whispered his answer.

"Yes. I'm headed down to start with breakfast."

"China got a head start already."

"Heh, of course. Wouldn't expect anything less." Japan chuckled.

"Should I wake the others?"

"Er, yes, but do so gently." Japan advised. "Some of them didn't get here until very late, so they'll still be tired." America nodded.

"You can count on me." He saluted before walking around Japan to get upstairs. Japan went down and headed to the kitchen, already sensing the smell of food and hearing China muttering to himself as he got closer. He rolled up his sleeves and went in to put himself to work. Meanwhile, upstairs, America was standing outside of the guest room door. Tentatively, he opened the door and stepped in. It was dark aside from some faint light through the blinds of the only huge window in the room. Like Japan, he saw just faint shapes of the beds.

He stepped lightly as he crossed the room to the window, not letting anyone wake up juust yet. On one of the end tables, he spotted an empty plate with a spoon. _"Perfect"_ He thought as he grabbed it carefully. He went to the window and, with one flick of the wrist, pulled the cord to open the blinds. The morning sun burst in. America then grabbed the spoon in his free hand and began banging on the plate. "RISE AND SHINE, LADIES! TIME FOR BREAKFAST! I WON'T ACCEPT ANY OBJECTIONS! C'MON, SLEEPYHEADS, GET UP! UP! UP!"

"BLOODY HELL WILL YOU SHUT UP!" A shorter blonde man sleeping alone in his bed screamed at him.

"Veh!" A yelp sounded as a light brown haired man fell off the bed in surprise. His buff bedmate sat up straight as an arrow before glaring at America.

"America, that was not necessary."

"Sure it was, Ludwig! Japan told me to wake you guys."

"You didn't have to be so loud, though." His brother chided from the closest bed to him, rubbing an eye. His albino bedmate was groping for his watch.

"And so early! Mein gott, it's 4:30 in the damn morning!" He grabbed a pillow and threw it over his head. America shrugged nonchalantly.

"Take it up with Japan, not me. Now move it! We're burning daylight and the others will be arriving soon!" He strolled out of the room, passing two glaring Italy brothers and an exasperated Germany.

"I suppose it can't be helped. Alright, everyone up! Let's shower and get breakfast!" Germany announced, getting up from the bed and dragging Veneziano off of it with him.

"Nooo, I wanna sleep some moooore!" He whined. Meanwhile, his brother yawned and nudged his bed partner.

"Spain, get up."

"Mnurg." He grumbled and pretended not to notice. Romano kept nudging him until Spain lazily smacked at Romano's hand.

"Come on, you bastard! I'm hungry and wanna shower."

"Muhhh, just go on, I'll catch up." Spain yawned and buried his face in his pillow. Romano scowled and sighed. He'd have to fight dirty, it seems. He leaned in near Spain's ear and murmured in a sing-song tone.

"If you get uup, I'll let you shower with mee~" He leaned away and waited. He counted to 10 before Spain bent his elbows and rose up, looking annoyed and a bit impressed with the Italian's tactic.

"You don't fight fair, Lovi." He mumbled. The Italian scoffed and slid out of bed to head to the bathroom, not even looking at Spain and yet knowing he was right behind him. Meanwhile, Canada was trying to kick Prussia out of bed as well and had to promise him stacks of pancakes to do so. England was the last to leave; he had tried to fall back asleep but America scared the sleep out of him and made him hungry with the mention of food.

Within half an hour, everyone who was already in the house was down in the kitchen and either helping with breakfast or kneeling on the floor at the table to wait for it. Canada made pancakes, as promised; Spain made churros and coffee; Germany made sausages; China and Japan made eggs over rice and some fish. The others sat at the table and chatted idly.

"Japan, are you sure you don't want me to help? You're probably tired from all that work." England frowned in worry. Japan was quick to shake his head.

"I'm all right! This is no problem for me at all, so don't worry about me."

"Okay… if you say so…"

"Loviii, do you want to be my special helper?"

"What am I, 5?" Romano eyed Spain weirdly when he suddenly turned his grin away from the Spanish pastries he was making and toward his lover.

"I'm just wondering if you want to help. We haven't made churros together in a long time, yah know?"

"I dunnooo. This morning, I could've sworn I heard you two in the process of filling a tube with white stuff." Prussia snidely murmured, making Veneziano almost choke on his coffee. Romano turned red, but otherwise ignored him and got up to help with the cooking. Just as everyone was about done and putting food on the table, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it~!" Veneziano jumped up and ran to answer the door. He came back moments later with France and Russia.

"доброе утро" Russia waved.

"Bonjour, mon amis." France greeted. "We were afraid we were too early."

"No, you're right on time. We're just about to eat." China announced. France licked his lips and went to find a seat. He sat between Gilbert and England. Russia took the remaining seat next to China's empty seat. The food was in place and everyone dug in right away. Conversation and laughter filled the air as everyone indulged in sweet breakfast pastries, coffee, pancakes, and even some scones (made by Japan). The hottest topic around the table seemed to be a game Japan was planning to develop.

"I plan to make it similarly to our recent adventure, but it would be more open with a medieval style to it." Japan explained.

"Oh, if you need any help with references to that period in time, you can always ask us."

"Yeah, no one knows more about the Dark Ages than these old farts." America dodged the scone England threw at him, but everyone at the table still shared a good laugh.

"No, no, that won't be necessary." Japan chuckled. "I have everything planned, including all of your characters and the monsters. I just need to make it in the RPG format."

"RP—?"

"Role-Playing Game."

"Will I have to die over and over again?" Italy pouted, but his voice was playful.

"You'll have multiple lives." Japan went on to explain his ideas for the game, but had to stop, claiming some things still had to be kept secret. Normal conversation continued until the food was devoured.

"Now that we're done eating, let's head to the amusement park!" Prussia exclaimed. "We gotta get there before it gets packed!"

"Yeah! Everyone got their swim stuff?" America asked.

"I don't feel like swimming while there, so no." England, China, Russia, Canada, and Japan shook their heads.

"Our stuff was still upstairs, I think." Italy recalled.

"I'll get them." Germany stood and headed upstairs.

"Get mine too, West!"

"Don't forget mine, Rotten Potato!"

"_Fratello_, you promised to be nice!"

"I AM being nice." Veneziano pouted at his brother, but didn't argue further. The table was cleared and dishes washed before all of the nations rushed like bats out of hell to get to their cars, clocks already reading that it was 6am. Japan gave them all the address to the amusement park they were going to: Summer Land in Hachioji, Tokyo prefecture. Those who had GPS punched it in. Those who didn't would follow them or ride with them.

Within 2 hours, they arrived at the park one by one. When they were all together, they bought tickets (letting Japan do the talking, although England and America tried in broken Japanese) and went their separate ways once they were inside. The people who were swimming went to the bathrooms to change and went to check a map. "Okay, we are right here, so the indoor area should be a little ways west of here. To the northeast are the roller coasters where America's group went. We are to meet in 4-5 hours at the front desk south of us. Directly north of us is—"

"Just give me that!" Romano snatched the map from Germany. "I swear to God, listening to you give directions… indoor wave pool is that way, slides and some leap frog shit are over there, normal pool is there, front desk is behind us." He thrust the map back into Germany's hand, turned, and walked toward where he said the normal pool was. Everyone watched him go for a long moment.

"Veh, Luddy! Let's go to the wave pool!" Veneziano chirped, tugging at Germany's arm. Ruefully, the man let himself get pulled away. Only Prussia, Spain, and France were left alone.

"Hey, how 'bout we go check out the slides before joining Lovi at the pool?" Spain suggested.

"Japan told me that those slides were _terriblement rapide_." France told his friends darkly. They exchanged looks before running at full speed toward the tall water slides.

**X-X-X**

"Here's our first stop!" America grinned up at the huge roller coaster casting a gigantic shadow over the group. They were standing right at the back of the considerably fair line leading up to the ride.

"Wow. Japan, you weren't kidding. This ride is huge!"

"Yes. It is known to be one of the biggest in my country."

"The one in Vegas is bigger."

"_This isn't a contest, America_." Japan huffed before he could stop himself. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, no probs, Kiku." America smiled nervously, holding up his hands in defeat. Even if the Asian man was small, he can be scary when he's angry.

"Um… does this have to be our first ride?" Russia asked suddenly. He sounded strangely timid.

"Of course! What better way to loosen up than to go on the biggest ride we can find?" America laughed. Everyone else ignored them, but Canada eyed the Russian in concern. This was the first time that the timid blonde saw nervousness on the bigger man's face. It was quite possibly more scary than his most intimidating smile.

"Cool, the line is moving fast!" America practically squealed. He loved roller coasters almost as much as fast food. Just his luck, the person just in front of him boarded the roller coaster and it started up. "We'll be able to sit together, too!"

"Try to contain your excitement, America. The ride only lasts 2 minutes."

"Hey, a 'coaster is a 'coaster, Iggy. So shut up."

"Now, now—" Japan soothed the now enraged Brit. He looked to China for help, but he was too busy texting. Russia was still eyeing the roller coaster warily and Canada was chiding his brother for being so rude (although his voice was too soft to be heard). During all the commotion, the roller coaster came back and was ready for boarding. America jumped into the first seat and Canada slid in next to him. Behind them sat England and Japan. China slid in behind them and looked to see Russia standing back.

"Ivan, come sit before it gets taken." China waved him over. Russia shook his head.

"I, um, I'll catch the next one. You go ahead."

"Russia, what's the matter with you?" The other nations eyed him strangely. Russia looked away, making an annoyed face but also blushing really hard.

"Nothing! Just go on without me." He ordered. Concerned, Canada got out of his seat and went over to the Russian. China joined him.

"Russia… are you afraid to ride the roller coaster?" Canada timidly asked.

"Aha, Canada, you're so silly. Like a powerful nation like I could ever be afraid." Russia scoffed, still not meeting their eyes.

"Ivan." China put his hands on Russia's shoulders. "It's alright to be afraid, you know. Everyone gets scared sometimes. It just means you're normal."

"N—normal?"

"Yeah, man." America's voice came from behind them. Canada turned to see his brother frowning at the huge Russian who used to be his worst enemy some years ago. "I'm scared of spiders and I'm not ashamed of it."

"Spiders?"

"Yeah, he makes me kill them for him." Canada rolled his eyes. Russia actually cracked a little smile.

"…Okay, I guess I'm a little afraid."

"No worries, we'll be with you every step of the way. It's not as bad as it looks." Canada reassured.

"First time is always the scariest, dude." America assured. Russia looked at each face, then behind them at England and Japan, then nodded. China grabbed his hand and they all went on the roller coaster just in time for it to start up. There were very little twists and turns, but it was very quick and abrupt. In two minutes, they were back on the ground. The entire ride, Russia screamed and clung to China. Despite the lack of air flowing to his lungs, he didn't mind it. It was all worth it anyway, because the minute Russia's feet touched the ground, he demanded that they go again.

**X-X-X**

"Veh, Luddy, it's gonna start again! It's gonna start again!" Veneziano bounced in the water excitedly before giving his German boyfriend a hug. Germany sighed and patted Veneziano's back. He had to sit through two artificial waves from the indoor pool already. The majority of the population in the pool were kids with parents. They were a lot less loud and cheerful than Veneziano was. Although, to be fair, no one can break through a sound barrier like the Italy Brothers.

Like Italy said, the waves were slowly forming from the deeper end of the pool. Some of the people in front were already bouncing. That was Veneziano's favorite part about the pool—bouncing. Lots of people gave the couple weird looks because it's not every day that you see a grown man squealing like a child to being pushed through the waves. 'Flying in water', as the Italian put it. Germany just watched, letting the waves hit him. More than once, he was asked to join in, but he declined. He claimed it was a problem with his ankle, but Vene knew better and accepted that Germany just isn't a silly type of person.

Thinking of this made Germany feel guilty. His boyfriend had been through so much—first the mansion incident, then he became the first to get a terrible cold—so of course he is trying to raise his spirits and everyone else's. Yet, his own Luddy won't play along and chooses to remain stoic. Germany watched the waves, thinking. There had to be something he could do to make up for it. As he looked ahead, he saw a father bouncing his son in the water.

When he saw the biggest wave appear and heard Veneziano squeal that it was coming, the idea came to him right away. He smiled to himself and inconspicuously moved to stand behind the Italian. He didn't noticed, posed for jumping on the final wave. When it was just feet away, Germany put his hands on Italy's hips. "Ooo!" The Italian yelped in shock. "Luddy, show some decency! There are people around!" Oh the irony.

"Just wait, Feli." Germany murmured. Just as the wave came close, measuring up to their chests, Germany lifted Italy up and jumped. The wave crashed and sent them both floating back so far, they ended up on the shallow end. Germany hurt his butt landing on the pavement, but his heart soared at the melodious sound of Veneziano's laugh.

"Luddy, we flew so far back! A-and we did it together! That was so much fun, wasn't it?" Veneziano rolled so he was looking down at Germany, his whole being lit up.

"Yes, Italy, that was… nice." Germany smiled up at his boyfriend. Feli's eyes softened and he leaned in for a kiss. Just as their lips touched, another wave crashed into them and sent them afloat. Germany cleared his throat and helped them stand. "Come on, let's go back outside and see the rest of the water park."

"Veh, yeah!" Vene cheered and started chattering about the rapids he saw on the map as they left the indoor pool area.

Meanwhile, as the couple left the indoor pool, the three friends laughing uproariously left the slide area to go to the main pool. "Brr, it's freezing outside of the water." France shivered.

"Yeah, let's go back in. Anton, let's do a group cannonball!" Prussia nudged his friend.

"You two go ahead, I'll be right in." Spain was looking toward the lounge chairs, specifically at a person he recognized right away to be his former henchman laying back on one of them. His friends hummed in understanding and made their way to the pool while Spain went toward the chairs. He stopped right in front of him and stood there smiling. "Hola, Lovi~"

"Hm?" Romano's eyes were closed, which was hard to tell due to the sunglasses. He opened one and recognized the Spanish dork blocking the sunlight. "Hey Spain." Spain lit up at the acknowledgement and right away tried to come closer to give Romano a kiss. He only took two steps before the Italian held out a hand to stop him. "Ah—ah—ah—two steps back, bastard."

Spain frowned in confusion, but did as he was told. Romano lowered his hand and said nothing more. "It's kinda hard to kiss you when you're all the way over there."

"Kiss me when you're dry. I don't want to get all wet."

"But… don't you want to go into the pool at least once?"

"No. I didn't come here to swim; I came here to tan. Now, either sit or go back into the pool." Romano closed his eyes, effectively ending the conversation. Spain pouted and looked toward the pool. There were only a few people around on this side, since this is the deeper end. It would be the perfect place to just relax and talk while swimming. France and Prussia were already getting in the pool off of the diving boards, which actually gave him a great idea.

Careful not to make a sound, he crept to his boyfriend's side and knelt down. He then leaned in and started nudging and nuzzling at his neck and just under his ear. "Mnn, S-Spain, dammit. You're still wet; get off." Romano groaned, but made no attempt to stop him. Spain smiled and carefully slid his hands under Roma and stood up slowly while scooping the Italian up in his arms. His eyes shot open and he looked up at the Spaniard in confusion. He winked mysteriously before strengthening his hold and jogging toward the pool. "Spain? Spain. What are you—S-Spain!" He sped up slightly and bent his knees to jump right at the edge of the pool. "Wh—?!"

"CANNONBAAAAALL!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Spain tucked in his knees and clung to his screaming lover as he jumped into the pool with a great big _SPLASH_. While Romano was still in shock, Spain opened his eyes to see him and put a hand on the back of his head to bring him close and kiss him. It took a minute, but Romano responded to it with the smallest hint of enthusiasm. With what little air they had left, they let it out as they kicked up to the surface, though the kiss only broke as their heads broke through the water.

They both leaned against the wall of the pool to catch their breath, coughing a little. "Y—you… are so… stupid."

"M—maybe, but at least I got my kiss." Spain smiled brightly. Romano rolled his eyes and tried his best not to smile more than the little twitch at the corner of his mouth. His hand went up to push his hair plastered to his face when he realized he was missing something.

"Aw hell, my sunglasses! That was my favorite pair!"

"Mmm." Spain hummed, pulling Romano closer to hold him. Romano tried to wedge him away.

"Dammit, you bastard, those glasses cost $190!"

"Why waste so much to cover your beautiful eyes?" He sighed. "When we go shopping, I'll buy you a new pair."

"You fucking better." Romano grumbled, not looking at him but accepting his hug and the kisses pressed to his cheek ruefully. At least, until Prussia and France made their way over and started teasing them.

**X-X-X**

Time passed by quickly and the clock soon chimed 3pm. The pool group dried off and changed while the roller coaster group walked all the way across the park to reach the front desk. When they were all together, they got to their cars and headed to their last stop: the mall. They first stopped by the Japanese market and got all the ingredients needed for dinner. Then, they went from shop to shop to look at clothes.

England picked out a nice suit for himself and a cute pair of pajamas with the Power Rangers on them for Sealand. Everyone picked out a yukata for themselves, all different colors but a few matching another person's. They got other clothes, most of which scrutinized by the 'fashion police' consisting of the Italies and France. By the end of the trip at 6pm, Italy convinced Germany and Prussia to get matching ties ("Veh, see, Gilbert? This one has little birds on it!"); Romano got Spain NOT to buy a rainbow wool beanie ("You look like a gay thug. Put it back."); and France almost got away with convincing England to get a white naughty angel cosplay ("You always go on and on about turning into an angel, though!").

When they returned to Japan's place, everyone got washed up to cook in the kitchen. Every single nation cooked their very best dishes using the finest and freshest ingredients (courtesy of Japan's garden). It was a long process, but by 8pm, the food was done and everyone sat at the table to eat. There were hamburgers, pasta, wurst, wine and beer, a platter of sushi and paella, tea and scones that were actually edible. The vast array of dishes from all over the earth mixed on everyone's plates and were devoured quickly and happily. In between, a conversation was always fitted in and many a lot of yelling and laughs echoed in the dining room.

Within half an hour, they were done and washing the dishes together. There was a bit of splashing that resulted in a water fight (England won that time), which also had to be mopped up. When everything was clean, Italy and Romano disappeared for a long moment and came back with huge grins on their faces. Italy went up to Japan and handed him a little box. "What is this?" Japan looked curiously at them.

"It's our gift to you! For putting this together, inviting us, and just being a wonderful ally." Veneziano answered brightly.

"Everyone pitched in a little, but it was our idea and don't you forget it." Romano smirked. Japan chuckled and opened the little box. Inside was a key to a car, but he didn't recognize it as one of his country's cars. Before he could ask, he felt Veneziano grab his wrist and drag him toward the door. The rest of the nations followed close behind, excitement in the air. They stopped right on the porch where, in plain view, was a car. It was sleek and black with black and white tires and a slight gold lining, similar colors to Japan's old uniform. It looked Italian in design, but there were also features that suggest German and Russian make. He even saw a bit from his country's car manufacturing.

"Russia and I got together to come up with this, but everyone helped make it." Italy explained to his speechless friend. "Now you won't have to use your boss's car anymore!"

"We also guessed you were tired of getting rides from Italy." Germany chuckled. Japan turned to look at them, smiling with a hint of tears in his eyes.

"Thank you. Thank you all so much. This… this is more than I deserve." He murmured. Veneziano reached out to hug his ally.

"Veh, you deserve it, for being such a good friend, for supporting everyone and saving everyone's lives."

"You are the real hero here, Honda." America winked.

"Yeah, who knows how much longer we would've been trapped in that place if it weren't for you?" Everyone said words of agreement. It became too much and Japan started crying into Italy's shoulder. It was then that everyone just fell silent and moved into a group hug. When Kiku finally calmed down, they all broke away and moved inside.

"So, now that that is done, we should go take a bath, change, and get our futons ready." Germany suggested. Everyone agreed and were on the move right away. Some went to the bath out back to relax a while longer, some just went to change into pajamas. Japan got out the huge blanket he got for the occasion and Canada and America helped carry the array of pillows to the bed room. America moved the beds out and Japan and Canada set up the blanket and pillows. Everyone shuffled in and settled against the pillows to get comfortable. Some brought the beer and wine left over to drink before bed. The clock struck 9:30 pm when Japan stood up before everyone and asked for silence. "I thank you all for coming here to spend this day with me. We have not been together like this since our time in the demon house and I am happy to be here on a happier note again."

"Hear, hear!"

"As you all know, by this time tomorrow, we will all have to go back to our homes. Work will continue on as usual, meetings will be held, and old habits will come back. However, despite all of that, there will be no part of us that will forget this. We are immortal, but thanks to our great adventure, we have learned to treasure each memory—for one day, it could be lost forever.

"We have planned this day to keep our spirits up for escape, and I truly believe that our escape hasn't been real until now. Now we are all together, connected like never before, and we won't have to look over our shoulders any longer. You all call me the hero, but in all honesty, I couldn't have done it without any of you.

"Yao, you have kept me calm the most throughout this catastrophe. Ivan, your power and strength saved me and everyone else, and even through the pain, you managed a smile. Alfred, you are the real hero, for you did everything in your power to make sure everyone could escape. Arthur, without your magic and knowledge, the time loops could've continued or ended with Italy's death. Francis, you healed both the body and the heart for each and every one of us. Matthew, your problem solving opened doors otherwise invisible to us. Gilbert, your enthusiasm gave us the will to keep fighting. Ludwig, without you, we wouldn't have ever been safe in that house. Feliciano and Lovino, you both made the ultimate sacrifices for us. Antonio, your courage and strength brought the madness to the end.

"We will walk out of here tomorrow and go back to being an Ally or an Axis or back on the side lines, but no matter what happens, the Pact of the HetaOni House remains intact. Deep inside, we are the humans who worked together and defeated a great evil. I thank you all from the bottom of my own heart. It has been an honor going through this journey with you." Japan bowed and the room burst into applause. Some nations had to take a breather because they started crying during the speech. They had one last round of drinks before Kiku shut off the lights and slipped in between America and England. Everyone slept in a great clump; back to back, hand in hand, in each other's arms. Like Japan said, tomorrow is when everything goes back to normal, but no one will forget their pact. On the outside, they're immortal and reflect the idea of their countries. On the inside—and this is still widely forgotten—they are only human.

**X-X-X**

_So now we are saved_

_The great evil is gone_

_Our saviors hold us close_

_And our hands are linked together_

_But as we go on with our lives_

_Thinking our troubles are over_

_Do you ever wonder_

_Is this really the end?_

* * *

**Translation:**_  
_

_доброе утро- _good morning

_Bonjour, mon amis- _hello, my friends

_mein gott- _my God

_terriblement rapide- _ frighteningly fast

* * *

**The poem at the end is a continuation to the one in chapter 3.**

**One last thing before I am gone. I have set up a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for this fic on my tumblr. If there was something you didn't understand in the story, you can go here and I have most likely answered your question. If I have not, please feel free to ask me on my tumblr or on here. I'll either add it or answer you directly. I'll be adding to the questions often. It is not necessary for you to read, however, if you prefer to make your own assumptions.**

**Just go to my tumblr (romanatty) and add /post/37967984080/a-hue-of-crimson-f-a-q to the end of the url**

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